WEST POINT, N.Y. — The U.S. Military Academy at West Point will offer online degrees and college credits for military service and life experience beginning in 2020, an Army spokesperson told reporters today.

“Times are tight without a reliable budget,” said Brig. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, the academy’s commandant. “By opening the school up to the peasan—er, ahem, non-traditional students, the school will tap into the tuition assistance funding stream which will allow us to make much needed upgrades to our barracks, polo field, and servant quarters.”

“And I’m in desperate need of a second footman.”

As part of the service’s overarching Army University program, West Point will offer associate, bachelor, and master’s degree programs in fields such as management, military history, and “general studies,” where enlisted soldiers learn how to dress general officers.