2. 1
2016 Veteran Friendly Colleges
The Top 25 Veteran Friendly Colleges and Universities
Introduction and Matrix
The 2016 Veteran Friendly Colleges provides a review and analysis of colleges that provide
flexibility and support that Veteran students look for. By reviewing Veteran Affairs special
programs such as the Yellow Ribbon Program, support groups, and availability of flexible
scheduling and courses, the article provides potential students with information on choosing a
school.
Rank College Name
Support
Programs
SOCAD
Agreements
Number of
Veteran
Students
YellowRibbon
Program
Students Using
YellowRibbon
Total $ Amount
awardedfor Yellow
Ribbon Program Retention Rate JobServices
# of Online
Programs
Flexible
Schedule Score
1 Liberty 19 1 1 15 2 3 6 4 1 1 5.30
2 George Washington 1 1 17 21 3 2 24 1 3 1 7.40
3 Colorado Tech 9 1 4 1 17 19 18 4 2 1 7.60
4 Penn State Worldwide 1 1 8 25 5 4 3 4 25 1 7.70
5 Regent University 19 1 18 1 10 13 2 4 10 1 7.90
6 Embry Riddle 19 1 7 23 1 1 10 4 13 1 8.00
7 National 21 1 3 1 12 15 16 4 8 1 8.20
8 Utah State 9 1 23 1 8 7 12 4 17 1 8.30
9 Hawaii Pacific 1 1 13 23 4 6 11 4 22 1 8.60
10 UMASS Lowell 9 1 22 1 11 10 17 4 13 1 8.90
11 Western Kentucky 9 1 20 1 15 14 26 1 6 1 9.40
12 Bellevue University 1 1 10 23 21 24 5 4 7 1 9.70
13 Eastern Kentucky 1 1 15 20 19 17 4 4 16 1 9.80
14 University of Nebraska Omaha 9 1 16 1 24 9 13 4 20 1 9.80
15 University of Oklahoma 19 1 14 1 6 5 25 4 24 1 10.00
16 American Intercontinental 25 1 12 1 7 11 27 4 12 1 10.10
17 City University Seattle 25 1 27 1 18 20 1 1 10 1 10.50
18 Brandman 9 1 9 1 16 18 20 4 27 1 10.60
19 OldDominion 1 1 5 25 24 24 19 4 3 1 10.70
20 Ohio State 1 1 11 18 9 8 7 4 23 27 10.90
21 Saint Leo 9 1 2 25 24 24 9 4 11 1 11.00
22 Trident University International 19 1 6 1 21 22 21 4 21 1 11.70
23 Fort Hays State 9 1 25 17 19 21 15 4 13 1 12.50
24 Northern Arizona 1 1 19 18 13 16 22 4 9 27 13.00
25 University of La Verne 25 1 21 22 14 12 8 4 26 1 13.40
Notes: Rating is based on a scale of 1 - 25, with 1 being the higest scored based upon the weighted factor.
3. 2
Veteran Friendly College Rankings
#1 Liberty University
The number one school in veteran friendly rankings
is Liberty University. Based out of Lynchburg, VA, Liberty provides various students groups
such as the Student Veterans Association and Students Behind our Military to help ease veterans
onto the college campus. They offer over 500 two and four-year degree programs, as well as a
special three-year B.S. degree.
#2 George Washington University
George Washington University in Washington
D.C. reports providing over $2,000,000 tuition
assistance to through the Yellow Ribbon program
to 291 students. GWU also provides over 100
degree offerings to include Open Education
Courses free of charge to anyone.
The University also has a veteran’s employment
initiative where they assist veterans with job seeker
services.
4. 3
#3 Colorado Technical
Colorado Tech reports over 4,000 veterans
currently pursuing a degree through the
college. They offer 114 online degree options,
as well as a fast track, where Veterans can test
out of subject areas to finish a degree in 30%
less time.
#4 Penn State University World Wide
Penn State boasts an 89.2% retention rating among veteran students which is good enough for
third overall for these rankings. The university also offers a 1-credit First Year Seminar called
“Transition is the Mission” that is open to veteran students to help them adjust to life outside of
the military, as well as informing veteran students of benefits they may be eligible for.
#5 Regent University
With a reduced tuition of $250/credit hour and a $100 a semester bookstore credit, Regent
University aims to provide reduced fees for their veteran student population. The university also
offers unlimited Yellow Ribbon funding at all levels for their students, this along with 60 degree
programs online, in 8-week intervals provides flexibility and options for veteran students.
5. 4
#6 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle with over 90 worldwide campuses is easily accessible to veteran students. The
largest contributor on this list of the Yellow
Ribbon program they have reported aiding 442
veterans at the cost of $3,516,300.30. Along with
their retention rate, of 83.2% Embry-Riddle offers
numerous opportunities for their students.
#7 National University
Over 4,000 veteran students attend National University. National University provides 70 flexible
degree options online and boasts a retention rate
of 81.2% for veteran students. Students can
attend any of 28 campuses in the National
University system. They offer a one-month long
course schedule providing flexible options for
their students.
#8 Utah State University
6. 5
Utah State offers a variety of flexible course options for their students to attend. Besides offering
30 online degree programs, they also offer courses through video conference broadcasts, a
flexible condensed 7-week schedule, and a flexible open 4-week schedule that students can start
at virtually any time. Out of the 594 veteran students attending the university, 71 have received
aid through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
#9 Hawaii Pacific University
Hawaii Pacific provides a robust military
campus program both on and off base. HPU
offers the Military Makana Grant that gives
veteran and family members with a $525 per
credit award applied towards all online courses
as well as courses taken on a military
installation. Another unique program HPU
offers is the Career Advancement Program
(CAP) that assists with career change, an issue
many veterans are facing.
#10 UMASS Lowell
The University of
Massachusetts Lowell offers a variety of instructional methods to included hybrid courses for
learners to completed over 46 online degrees and programs. They provide a Student’s Veteran
Organization where programs include outreach to send care packages and thank you cards to
deployed troops.
7. 6
#11 Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University offers a
couple of unique programs that differ from the rest of the schools on this list. The first, Operation
Career Readiness works with veteran students with resume writing and interview preparation.
WKU also offers a special OnDemand course selection of over 100 courses that can be
completed in as little as seven weeks.
#12 Bellevue University
Boasting an 88.6% retention rate among its
1,702 veteran students Bellevue University
provides a variety of options. Over 75 lone
degree options are available with 6-week
course options available with courses
starting every month.
#13 Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University waives
admission fee for both veteran students and
their dependents as well as offering in-state
tuition fees. A Vet-2-Vet sponsorship club is
offered to pair new veteran students to help ease into
their college experience.
8. 7
#14 University of Nebraska-Omaha
Veteran and Spouse career services are offered at the
University of Nebraska at Omaha. A Veteran
Students organization offers recurring events weekly
as well as volunteer opportunities to stay connected
with fellow veterans. The university offers 24 online
degrees as well as hybrid courses allowing veterans
to attend classes online and in the classroom.
#15 University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma offers an innovative program for all
students. The first, the university digital initiative
provides students with and IPad with free education
software. The university has also provided Yellow
Ribbon funding to 109 veterans for a total of
$486,594.45.
#16 American Intercontinental University
AIU provides students with an opportunity to receive their MBA in as little as 12 months. They
also provide a program called Intellipath that allows students to test out of topics and subjects
that they already know. This testing is provided free of service. The university provides no
restrictions on funding for the yellow ribbon
program, with unlimited funding for unlimited
students.
#17 City University Seattle
Operation Good Jobs, sponsored by the Goodwill
of Western Washington works in tandem with City
University Seattle in providing job placement
9. 8
programs and services for veteran students. The program partners with corporate partners such as
Walmart, and
Amazon. Out of
168 veteran
students
attending City
University, the
institution reports
a retention rate of
100% and offers
study programs
for students at
their own pace.
#18 Brandman University
Hybrid 8-week course offerings are offered through Brandman University at a variety of
campus’ throughout the west coast. Brandman provides not limits on the number of students or
funding for their yellow ribbon program, and most campus’ within the system provide veteran
support groups. A variety of online programs are offered across six different degree fields.
10. 9
#19 Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University with over 2,900
students offers veteran support groups, as
well as the Veterans Affairs sponsored
VetSuccess program. With eight-week
courses offered online, students can pursue
over 100 online degree and certification
options through the university.
20 Ohio State University
Ohio State University has provided 55 veteran students with $214,257.83 in Yellow ribbon
funding. This has been a factor in their 87.5% retention rate for their almost 1800 veteran
students. The college has strong veteran support groups that allow veterans to connect with each
other and receive help in a variety of areas as they transition from the military to college.
11. 10
#21 Saint Leo University
Scattered across seven states, veterans have many options of where they can attend Saint Leo
University. Saint Leo’s veteran population of over 5,000 has access to 56 online degree programs
that are offered in a variety of eight-week sessions. In helping veterans transition to college life,
the college offers an eight-week online module called the online Student Veteran Transition
Course.
#22 Trident University International
Trident University International offers unlimited funding through the Yellow Ribbon program
for their 2,606 veteran students. Based in California,
they offer veterans support groups. TUI has over 20
online degree options available along with multiple
online sessions.
#23 FortHays State University
Based out of Hays, Kansas, Fort Hays
State University offers 40 online degree
programs in 8-week sessions. They
provide unlimited Yellow Ribbon funding
for all undergraduate degree programs. SU
also provides a veteran support group on
their campus
12. 11
#24 Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona provides veterans support groups as well as the VetSuccess program to 895 veteran
students. They have also provided 36 veteran students with $42,541.53 towards finishing their degree
programs through the Yellow Ribbon program. NAU offers 68 degree programs online for students to
choose from.
#25 La Verne University
The final school on this list is based out of California on over 18 different campuses ranging
from the College of Law to Corporate Education Partners. With a variety, of course, offering to
choose from, La
Verne offers 30
students unlimited
funding each year
from the Yellow
Ribbon Program.
The college
Offers accelerated
degree programs
that help with an
84% retention rate
for their veteran
students.
13. 12
Methodology
Mixed methods were used to assess a rank order of Veteran friendly schools in the United States.
Data was taken from a variety of military and veteran friendly rankings to find like trends and
analyze the top schools that frequent such lists. This study determined rankings based upon ten
constructs. The constructs consisted of the following items.
• Veteran Support Programs
• SOCAD Agreements
• Number of Veteran Students
• Yellow Ribbon Programs
• Number of Veterans using Yellow Ribbon Program
• Amount of Yellow Ribbon money awarded to Veterans
• Retention rate of Veteran Students
• Job Seeker Services for Veterans
• Availability and Number of Online Programs
• Flexible Scheduling: To Include Hybrid, 6, 9, and 12-week courses.
Based upon 30 schools identified in the initial phase of the research, the top 30 colleges
were assigned a score (weight) between 1 and 30 for each construct listed, with 1 being the
highest. Each construct was assigned a value of 10% to provide even and consistent scoring
across the board. Based on lowest scores, a final ranking of the top 25 Veteran-friendly was
reached.
Information for this study was also gathered from the following government agencies and
other support agencies. Department of Veterans Affairs, (GI Bill Comparison Tool); Department
of Education (College Scorecard and Accreditation), United Stated Department of Census
(Veteran populations by state) and a variety of scholarships, grants, and financial aid websites
focused on military and veterans.
Only Veterans Affairs approved and U.S. Department of Education accredited
universities were considered for this study. This was to ensure that any advice taken from the
research will be done so with the best intentions of others.
Web Links
https://www.vets.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool
http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
