SOC was created in 1972 to provide educational opportunities to servicemembers, who, because they frequently moved from place to place, had trouble completing college degrees. Today SOC is a consortium of more than1800 colleges and universities that provide educational opportunities for servicemembers and their families. SOC is cosponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in cooperation with 13 other educational associations, the Military Services, the National Guard, and the Coast Guard. SOC is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) through a contract with AASCU. The contract is managed for DoD by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).

Hundreds of thousands of servicemembers and their family members enroll annually in programs offered by SOC Consortium member universities, colleges, community colleges, and technical institutes. Military students may enroll in associate, bachelor, and graduate-level degree programs on school campuses, military installations, and armories within the United States and overseas.

SOC coordinates associate and bachelor's degrees in a variety of curriculum areas for the Army (SOCAD), Navy (SOCNAV), Marine Corps (SOCMAR), and Coast Guard (SOCCOAST). These degree programs are offered by colleges and universities on or accessible to Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard installations worldwide. Within each curriculum or degree network, member colleges agree to accept each other's credits in transfer. Servicemembers and their family members in isolated locations can take courses through such "distance learning" methods as the Internet, correspondence, computer, or video.

SOCGuard, a SOC program for the Army National Guard (ARNG), supports ARNG Education Services Officers in developing partnerships with the higher education community in their state. The goals of SOCGuard are to link ARNG civilian and military education and training needs with degree programs offered by local colleges and universities; assist ARNG ESOs in marketing education benefits; and assist the ARNG to maximize the participation of soldiers in federal and state education benefit programs.

In cooperation with the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), SOC operates the Concurrent Admissions Program (ConAP) to increase college enrollment of Army recruits and reservists.