Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been selected as one of the top public universities in Pennsylvania by the Military Times for its 2023 Best for Vets: Colleges list.
IUP is ranked highest on the listing of the state and region’s public universities selected for the honor.
More than 1,000 schools were considered for the listing, which honors institutions the magazine’s editors describe as delivering “the best experience for military students.”
IUP has consistently been named by Military Times magazine as one of the nation’s “Best for Vets” institutions; in 2022, IUP was one of only four public universities in Pennsylvania selected for the honor. IUP is a Gold Award winner in the 2022–23 Military Friendly Top 10 Schools recognition, and IUP was selected for the inaugural Pennsylvania National Guard Association’s Guard Friendly School designation in 2019, one of only 30 chosen for the designation.
“It is an honor to be recognized once again by Military Times as a Best for Vets university,” said Cory Shay, director of IUP’s Military and Veterans Resource Center.
“All of us at IUP pride ourselves in the services and support we provide for our veterans, military members, and their families. We also recognize that our great work is also not perfect, and we are always looking for ways to improve our support and services in the Military and Veterans Resource Center,” he said.
Shay was selected for the 2023 Veteran Champions of the Year in Higher Education list by Military Friendly. This list honors champions who advocate for America’s veterans in higher education.
IUP opened the Military Resource Center in January 2014 under the leadership of IUP President Michael Driscoll. The center absorbed the responsibilities of the Veterans Affairs Benefits Office in 2016 and updated its name to the Military and Veteran’s Resource Center. The MVRC works collaboratively with IUP programs and services, serving as a one-stop information and referral site to help military-affiliated students transition to college life and achieve their academic goals.
In fall 2023, more than 840 veterans or military-affiliated students are enrolled at IUP. Since fall 2014, IUP has increased the enrollment of veterans and military-affiliated students by 54 percent.
IUP is a participant in the Yellow Ribbon program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 that allows US colleges and universities to enter into an agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.
In 2022, IUP was selected by Victory Media for the tenth consecutive year for its list of Military Friendly Schools, which honors institutions the magazine’s editors describe as delivering “the best experience for military students.”