Great Valley MBA student Tahseen Firoz is pictured with other Penn State veterans from all branches of the U.S. military as they hold a giant American Flag on the field at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 5.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sixteen Penn State campuses, plus Penn State World Campus, have been named 2017 “Military Friendly Schools” by ratings organization Victory Media.
The campuses are:
- Penn State Abington
- Penn State Altoona
- Penn State Beaver
- Penn State Behrend
- Penn State Berks
- Penn State Brandywine
- Penn State DuBois
- Penn State Greater Allegheny
- Penn State Harrisburg
- Penn State Hazleton
- Penn State Lehigh Valley
- Penn State Mont Alto
- Penn State New Kensington
- Penn State Shenango
- Penn State Worthington Scranton
- Penn State York
The campuses all appear in the award category of “Public Universities with fewer than 10,000 enrolled students,” with Penn State World Campus in the category of “Online Universities.”
The institution’s ratings reflect the extent to which they exceed the benchmark standards for the “Military Friendly” designation in six areas: academic policies and compliance; admissions and orientation; culture and commitment; financial aid and assistance; graduation and career; and military student support and retention.
In order to be included on the list, an institution’s military recruiting program must:
- Engage prospective military students or employees in a recruiting environment;
- Educate military students or employees once they are part of the company or school; and
- Employ military students or employees in meaningful employment.
Schools are then assessed through the evaluation of public data about the institution from the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense; and proprietary data gathered through an annual, data-driven Military Friendly Schools survey assessment, offered to more than 8,800 institutions nationwide. Each year, schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than in previous years via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of independent research firm and an advisory council.
Final survey results and ratings are determined by combining an institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet minimum thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. The schools must verify that their accreditation and federal status are in good standing. The benchmark is set by the score of the leading institution.
In total, 1,273 Military Friendly schools were recognized nationally for their support of the military community.
