Every junior officer in the Coast Guard can apply for the opportunity to obtain advanced education at Coast Guard expense. These educational programs generally range from 12-24 months in length and come with an additional service obligation of three months for each month of education for the first year and then a one-for-one after the first year of education received. There is an excellent chance of going to a post-graduate institution of your choice, as long as the university offers the degree program for which you have been selected.

While in school, you continue to receive full pay and benefits - your only job is to study and earn your degree! A complete list of Advanced Education programs of instruction can be found in the Educational Programs List. Note the opportunity for mid-grade and senior officers to attend prestigious Senior Service Schools like the Naval War College and the Air War College, as well as opportunities to attend executive development programs like the Harvard Security Fellowship, or Sloan Fellows Program.

While acceptance into these programs is based on job performance and academic potential, there is such a broad range of opportunities offered that any Academy graduate has a good chance of being selected for one of the programs. For instance, in the last 10 years, every Academy engineering graduate who has applied for an engineering post-graduate program has been accepted and has gone on to complete a master's degree!