University of Arkansas Ranks High Among Prospective Student Veterans

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The University of Arkansas has landed on the top 10 list of most viewed military friendly schools in the country, according to the newest list released by Victory Media Inc.

Victory Media Inc., a veteran owned business founded in 2001, rates, employers, schools, franchises, and cities; surveying tens of thousands of institutions that maintain the best practices in recruitment and retention of military personnel in civilian life.  The Military Friendly School list has been published annually since 2003, and represents the top tier of institutions with leading opportunities for student veterans and spouses.

Of the 610,000 schools and universities across the country, the University of Arkansas landed among the 10 most viewed schools by veterans and their spouses seeking an education over the last four months.  This list comes on the heels of the 2013 U.S. News & World Report of best universities for veterans, which ranked the UA as the 27^th best public college for veterans.

“Being viewed as one of the best institutions for veterans to attend is a great recognition of how our institution has united to help student veterans succeed in college,’ Erika Gamboa, director of Veterans Resource and Information Center said. “As a relatively young department on campus, the Veterans Resource and Information Center staff is proud to have served our country and are honored to have the opportunity to continue helping fellow veterans and their families through their educational career.”

This recent praise for the university acknowledges U of A’s attention to the needs of veterans returning from the battlefield to the classroom and the many efforts taken to ease the transition form service to education.  The university participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which makes additional funds available to students on top of the GI Bill to help alleviate the cost of education.

Scholarships applications for the 2014-2015 academic year will be available this week.  These scholarships are available to veterans and dependents of veterans. More information can be found here http://scholarships.uark.edu/1285.php

Arkansas began a new tradition during the 2012-13 school year, presenting Chancellor Challenge Coins to the graduating self-identified student veterans during the Graduating Student Leadership Breakfast.  The university became the 11^th college in the nation to award the Challenge Coins to their graduating student veterans, and the first SEC school to award such an honor.

Last year, 166 student veterans graduated from the University of Arkansas and there are currently 667 self-identified student veterans attending the U of A.