Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been selected as one of the top four public universities in Pennsylvania by the Military Times for its 2022 Best for Vets: Colleges list.
IUP is one of only 11 Pennsylvania universities selected for the listing and is ranked highest on the listing of the four public universities selected for editors 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.”
“It is an honor to be consistently recognized for the work that IUP has done to help our veteran and military-affiliated students,” Cory Shay, director of IUP’s Military and Veterans Resource Center, said. “We are proud of the work that we have done, but we will not rest on our laurels—we will continue to work hard to improve our services for our veterans and their families.”
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 2022, more than 800 veterans or military-affiliated students are enrolled at IUP (almost 10 percent of the student body). Since fall 2014, IUP has increased the enrollment of veterans and military-affiliated students by almost 70 percent.
IUP also has consistently been named by Military Times magazine as one of the nation’s “Best for Vets” institutions.
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.