Continuing a tradition of providing a veteran-friendly environment for student veterans and military personnel, Concord University has been named one of the top institutions for veterans by Military Times EDGE magazine. Concord is ranked third in the nation among four-year colleges in the Best for Vets: College 2014 rankings released by the publication on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The organization comprising Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times placed a new emphasis on academic rigor this year when conducting and scoring the fourth annual Best for Vets: Colleges survey, a 150-question analysis of a school’s complete offerings for veterans. The rankings factored in service member enrollment, percentage of tuition covered by the GI Bill, and availability of specific programs to help service members. The extensive evaluation process also factored in statistics commonly used to track student success and academic quality, including student loan default rates, retention rates, graduation rates and student-faculty ratio. Established in 2009, the Concord University Veterans Office works with United States veterans, reservists and active duty service members to utilize educational benefits from the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The office also works with student veterans in areas from tutoring and counseling to housing and extra-curricular activities. The full rankings include 86 four-year schools, 20 online and nontraditional schools and 14 two-year schools. They are being published in the November issue of Military Times EDGE magazine and online at MilitaryTimes.com. For the full Best for Vets: Colleges 2014 rankings, go to militarytimes.com/bestforvets-colleges2014.
