The accolades for Indiana University of Pennsylvania as a top resource for military and military-affiliated individuals continue.
In June, IUP was selected for Military Times' “Best for Vets: Colleges” rankings and is in the top 16 schools in the Mid-Atlantic region listing, which editors call “the largest and most comprehensive rankings of schools for military service members and veterans, helping them make important decisions about their education.”
For the last seven years, IUP has provided a dedicated Military and Veterans Resource Center, working collaboratively with IUP programs and services, serving as a one-stop information and referral site to help students transition to college life and achieve their academic goals. The Veterans Affairs Benefits Office was moved into the Center in 2016.
“IUP values and works hard to support our active duty, veteran and military-affiliated populations,” Cory Shay, director of the IUP Military and Veterans Resource Center, said. “It's very rewarding to see these accolades and recognitions of our ongoing work. We hope that these lists and rankings can continue to showcase the opportunities that we offer to active duty personnel and veterans and their families as they work to meet their educational goals.”
The MVRC also has a goal of increasing campus awareness of student veteran issues and fosters a sense of camaraderie, community, and well-being for all veterans, military-affiliated students, and their families.
Annually, about 1,000 veterans or military-affiliated students, or about 9 percent of the student body, are studying at the university. Since fall 2014, IUP has increased the enrollment of veterans and military-affiliated students by almost 70 percent.
The “Best for Vets” recognition follows a March announcement of IUP's selection for a Gold Designation by Victory Media in its 2021 Military Friendly School ranking, and an April designation as a Military Friendly Spouse School by Victory Media.
IUP is one of only 162 universities in nation and one of only six in Pennsylvania selected for “Gold Award” status. A total of 1,200 colleges and universities were considered for the Military Friendly School ranking, and less than 750 schools earned a spot in the rankings.
IUP has been on the Military Friendly Schools list for seven years.
Institutions selected for the Military Friendly School ranking were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Universities were judged in several categories, including student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer), and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. Criteria for the list also includes efforts to recruit and retain students who are veterans or in the military, success in recruiting those students, and academic accreditations.