Ohio University has been named the eighth most military-friendly school in the country for 2018 by Victory Media, a veteran-owned company and publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine.
The 2018 Military Friendly Schools® list honors colleges, universities and trade schools across the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans and dependents as students and ensure their success on campus. More than 1,300 schools participated in the 2017-2018 survey with 849 earning the designation.
OHIO was the only Tier-2 Research University within the state of Ohio to be included in the top 10 of the Victory Media list.
"Ohio University is dedicated to helping service members, veterans and their families achieve success," said Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis. "We recognize and appreciate the daily sacrifices made by service members and their families, and we are committed to providing a collaborative, supportive education environment for our student veterans.”
At Ohio University, the Veterans and Military Student Services Center provides programs and services for student veterans, military personnel and their family members, including:
- A wide variety of social and academic support outlets
- Participation in a military-focused Learning Community
- Free tutoring
- Priority course registration
- Assistance transitioning from military to academic life
- Assistance with deployment and training issues
- Access to OHIO’s Commuter and Veterans Lounge
- Graduation stoles recognizing their branch of service and rank
Ohio University not only met 100 percent of the six benchmark standards necessary for qualifying as a Military Friendly® school – OHIO exceeded the standards by an average of 55 percent. The six benchmark standards included: academic policies and compliance; admissions and orientation; culture and commitment; financial aid and assistance; graduation and career, and student support and retention.
“Being recognized as a Military Friendly School for the seventh consecutive year means a lot to both myself and my staff,” said David Edwards, director of the Veterans and Military Student Services Center at Ohio University. “We foster a campus community that enables veterans, active duty military, guard and reserve personnel and dependents to enjoy and grow from their college experience. We also want prospective OHIO students, and the parents of those students, to know that they will be taken care of and provided as smooth a transition as possible into college life.”
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. For the first time, student survey data was also considered for the designation.
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Victory Media with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.
For more information about Ohio University’s commitment to military veterans and available academic opportunities, contact David Edwards, director of the Veterans and Military Student Services Center, at 740-593-4180 or edwardd1@ohio.edu.