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Angelo State Again Named a National ‘Military Friendly® School’

May 30, 2024

For the 15th time, Angelo State University has been designated a “Military Friendly® School” by Victory Media (VIQTORY), which comprises several digital and print resources, including G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse, that serve military personnel and veterans transitioning into civilian life.

ASU has also received a Gold Award for ranking in the top tier of the 62 U.S. institutions in the Large Public University category that were awarded the “Military Friendly® School” designation for 2024-25. Since the additional superlative awards program began nine years ago, ASU has earned a Gold Award or Silver Award every year it has made the Military Friendly® list.

This is the fifth time ASU has been placed in the Large Public University category for schools with more than 10,000 students – and ASU is one of only four Texas institutions to win a Gold Award in this category for 2024-25.

The 2024-25 Military Friendly® Schools list honors the top U.S. institutions of higher education that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and their dependents as students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success both in the classroom and after graduation. Each year, the list of Military Friendly® Schools is provided to service members and their families, helping them select the best college, university or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career.

Ronnie Hawkins Jr. Ronnie Hawkins Jr. “Earning Military Friendly® Gold status is one of the distinctions we are most proud of,” said ASU President Ronnie Hawkins Jr. “It lets our veterans, active duty military, and especially their families know we celebrate the values and qualities they add to our nation and community, and that we are committed to their academic and career success. Military-affiliated students make up about 12% of our student population, and we want that number to keep growing. Being a ‘Military Friendly® School’ shows them that wherever in the world they may live or be stationed, the best way to go is to go as a Ram!”

The institutions on the 2024-25 list were evaluated using both public data sources and their responses to Victory Media’s proprietary survey. About 1,500 schools completed the survey, but only 552 were awarded the “Military Friendly® School” designation for 2024-25. Final ratings were determined by combining each institution’s survey scores with an assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence and loan default rates for all students – and specifically for military-affiliated students.

Phil Nichelson Phil Nichelson “We are honored to be recognized as a 2024-25 ‘Military Friendly® School’ and Gold Medal institution,” said Phil Nichelson, director of affiliated military and veteran services. “We ceaselessly endeavor to support all of our active duty, reserve and guard service members, and the veteran and veteran-affiliated communities. We hope that during their time at ASU, our military and veteran students will meet or exceed their expectations and satisfy their vision and their goals for the future.”

ASU’s programs for military and veteran students are overseen by the Office of Affiliated Military and Veteran Services, which is housed in the Veterans Educational and Transitional Services (VETS) Center in the Houston Harte University Center.

The complete list of 2024-25 Military Friendly® Schools with links to school profiles is available at MilitaryFriendly.com and is published in the most recent issue of G.I. Jobs magazine.