Education and AFQT for USCG AC Enlisted Accessions

Education. As shown in Table 8.2, almost 97 percent of USCG NPS accessions in FY 1998 were regular high school diploma graduates as compared to 94 percent for the overall DoD. The difference between the USCG and overall DoD can be accounted for in the numbers of GED holders accepted by the USCG (3 percent) compared to DoD (6 percent). For both the USCG and DoD as a whole, the overall percentage of accessions with high school credentials, either diplomas or GED certificates, was more than 99 percent, exceeding the comparable civilian group at 79 percent.

Table 8.2. Education Levels and AFQT Categories of FY 1998 USCG and DoD Active Component NPS Accessions and Civilians 18–24 Years Old (Percent)
Education Level	Coast Guard	DoD		18- to 24-Year-Old Civilians*
Tier 1: Regular High School Graduate or Higher	96.9	93.9		78.8
Tier 2: GED, Alternative Credentials	2.9	5.7
Tier 3: No Credentials	0.3	0.4		21.2
Total	100.0	100.0		100.0
College Experience (Part of Tier 1)	6.0	7.1		45.8
MALE
AFQT Category	Coast Guard		DoD
I	4.7		4.6
II	42.4		35.0
IIIA	30.9		27.8
IIIB	22.0		31.4
IV	0.0		1.1
Other/Unknown	**		**
Total	100.0		100.0
FEMALE
I	3.0		3.0
II	45.0		32.7
IIIA	28.4		34.4
IIIB	23.5		29.7
IV	0.0		0.2
Other/Unknown	**		**
Total	100.0		100.0
Columns may not add to total due to rounding. * Civilian numbers and percentages for education combine Tiers 1 and 2 as civilian data include GED certificates with high school graduate rates. ** Less than one-tenth of one percent. Also see Appendix Tables B-5 (NPS Active Component Enlisted Accessions by AFQT Category, Service, and Gender), B-7 (NPS Active Component Enlisted Accessions by Education, Service, and Gender), E-7 (Coast Guard NPS Active Component Enlisted Accessions by AFQT Category, Gender and Race/Ethnicity), and E-8 (Coast Guard NPS Active Component Enlisted Accessions by Education, Gender and Race/Ethnicity).

AFQT. The primary measure of a recruit's potential for success in training is his or her AFQT score. Table 8.2 shows FY 1998 USCG accessions were more likely than their DoD counterparts to be in AFQT Categories I – IIIA (i.e., top 50 percent). The overall proportion of FY 1998 USCG accessions in AFQT Categories I–IIIA was comparable to the distribution in the Air Force (78 and 77 percent, respectively).