I want to enlist in the military

[IrishJohn]

During my stint as a recruiter they would only accept GEDs if you had 15 college credit hours, of course this was for Army National Guard and a few years ago. If this is what the OP is referring to they will not only have to take CLEPS etc, butan actual course at a school this credit needs to be transcripted. I would suggest taking a 1 credit class at your local community college to save on money.

The advice to get a degree first isn't necessarily bad, just depends on why the OP is wanting to join as you can actually get up to an E4 upon enlistment for having a bachelors. Take a look at all your service options if you're looking to get the school benefits from the military all branches have the same federal benefits 4500 tuition assistance and GI bill but Army/Air National guard MAY have additional benefits because they are state funded. For instance Ohio offers $50,000 in student loan repayment and 100% tuition for a Bachelors at a state funded university.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Prefacing this that the OP needs to speak with his recruiter, how about this for an idea: if the OP isn't able to finish a degree at TESC or the other 2 of the Big 3 before enlisting for whatever reason, how about taking 45 credits worth through CLEP and DSST exams and one 3-credit regular class? These exams could be transferred to the community college to go on their transcript along with the regular class which he/she could then take to the recruiter afterwards. This would put them at 48 credits which would get them E3 after boot camp in the Army and they could then finish their full degree using TA or the GI Bill once they are on active duty.

15 CLEP/DSST exams = 45 credits @ cost of approximately $1,500 ($100 each which includes proctor fee). Study materials can be obtained online for free or cheaply by using IC ($20/month).

PLUS

1 class at Clovis Community College online = 3 credits @ cost of approximately $267 + fees (out-of-state tuition rates)

OR

1 class at KCTCS online = 3 credits @ cost of approximately $550

Add transcript fee of around $50 or so and voila! He/She can get 48 credits for the low price of approximately $2,000 and start his/her career as an E3.

Ideally, he/she can finish a bachelor's at TESC or one of the other Big 3 first, but this is a second option. Of course, if he/she cannot afford either of these enlisting ASAP and taking care of school later is something else they can do. Whatever is best for their particular circumstances.