Adelphi, Md., Nov. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Gates Foundation to develop and test a skills-first approach to more efficiently recognize learning gained through military service, the workforce and other experiences outside the traditional classroom.
The two-year project, National Skills-First Architecture for Learning Recognition, will initially focus on military-affiliated learners and working adults, who often come to higher education with substantial experience but can face lengthy processes to translate that learning into academic credit. The work supports UMGC’s commitment to recognize learning wherever and however it happens.
“Adult and military learners acquire extensive knowledge and skills through work, military service and life, and we are proud to honor that learning,” said UMGC President Gregory W. Fowler, PhD. “This project will help learners build on their experience, offering a clearer path to their educational and career goals while maintaining the academic rigor and faculty oversight that ensure the quality of UMGC credit.”
The grant will help support UMGC’s efforts to explore how artificial intelligence can interpret military and workforce records, identify skills and competencies and map them to academic outcomes. Faculty will continue to determine official credit awards, and AI-assisted recommendations will show how they were reached. The goal is to help learners understand earlier how their existing knowledge and experience may count toward their education, potentially reducing unnecessary coursework, costs and time to completion.
The project builds on UMGC’s experience in prior learning assessment and military credit recognition. Through its Credit for Military Rank initiative, more than 22,000 learners have received more than 109,000 credits since mid-2024, saving an estimated $27.4 million in tuition. The new project will explore ways to make verified records of skills gained through military and workforce experience easier to share across education and employment systems.
UMGC is one of five universities participating in this round of the Gates Foundation’s National Scale Enterprise Innovation Fund. The universities will work together to explore how their tools can help students’ skills and learning move across institutions and systems.
About University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military service members. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland and continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide, and more than 100 degrees and certificates backed by the reputation of a state university and the University System of Maryland. For more information, visit umgc.edu.
Thomas Moriarty University of Maryland Global Campus media@umgc.edu
