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ASU Again Named a ‘Military Friendly School’

December 20, 2017

For the ninth consecutive year, Angelo State University has been designated a “Military Friendly School” by Victory Media. Angelo State achieved Gold-Level Award ranking for 2018, meaning it has programs that scored within 20 percent of the 10th-ranked institution within a given category.

VETS Center logo This year Victory Media published the results of its eligibility assessment of public data for schools against the Military Friendly® School standard in an effort to provide members of the military community with the latest, most comprehensive information possible as they decide how to use their veteran education benefits.

“We are proud of our ongoing recognition as a Military Friendly School,” said ASU President Brian J. May. “We continually work to improve the campus experience for our military and veteran students through our VETS Center and Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies, as well as other offices like admissions, financial aid and student services. It’s nice to see our efforts recognized on a national scale, and it’s even more gratifying to know that we are doing a good job serving our military and veteran students and their families.”

Supplementing public data are responses from colleges that participate in the Military Friendly® survey. Responses cover six areas deemed critical in helping veterans thrive on campus—and later in the workplace:

Final Military Friendly® ratings are determined by combining an institution’s Military Friendly® Schools survey score with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet minimum thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement and Loan Repayment rates for all students and specifically for student veterans based on public data.

Also new for 2018 is the Military Friendly® Schools Awards program, showcasing the most powerful and impactful programs supporting veteran and military students. Award categories are by type of institution.

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 taken into consideration for the designation. More than 1,300 schools participated in the 2017-18 survey with 849 earning the designation.

The 2017-18 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the December issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at militaryfriendly.com.

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.

Victory Media’s chief product officer Daniel Nichols stated, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to colleges creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to invest in programs to provide educational outcomes that are better for veterans.”

The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions.

The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. Data calculations and tabulations were independently evaluated for completeness and accuracy by Ernst & Young. The survey is administered for free and is open to all post-secondary schools that wish to participate. Criteria for consideration can be found at militaryfriendly.com.

Founded in 2001, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs® and Military Friendly® brands.  Victory Media and its brands are not a part of or endorsed by the U.S. Dept. of Defense or any federal government entity. Learn more about Victory Media at victorymedia.com.