Once again, Eastern Kentucky University is among the leading four-year schools nationally in the annual Military Times: Best Colleges rankings.
EKU finished 14th (and tops in Kentucky) in the recently announced 2018 rankings, up from 17th a year ago. The rankings (formerly known as “Best for Vets”) measure schools on their commitment to helping military veterans further their education. EKU is the only school from Kentucky or any adjacent state to crack the top 20.
The rankings are determined by a survey of 150 questions as well as data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and Department of Education databases for information ranging from veteran-related policies to average salaries after graduation.
To see the full list of four-year schools, visit bestforvets.militarytimes.com/2018-11-20/colleges/4-year/.
EKU has earned national recognition from several other sources in recent years for the services it provides U.S. military veterans and their dependents.
Home to more than 980 military-affiliated students and approximately 300 dependents, Eastern was also recently selected as a Top School in the 2018 Military Advanced Education and Transition Guide to Colleges & Universities. EKU also has been recognized by Victory Media/G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School each of the past eight years. U.S. Veterans magazine has also ranked EKU among its leading Veteran-Friendly Schools.
In 2010, Eastern launched Operation Veteran Success, a series of initiatives designed to make the University even more veteran-helpful. The initiatives now include:
· no admission fees for undergraduate veterans
· in-state tuition for all out-of-state veterans nationwide
· maximum credit hours for military experience
· priority registration and assistance
· an on-site Vet Success on Campus Coordinator
· book vouchers and Books for Boots Exchange Library
· Veterans Bridge to College Success cohort classes
· veterans orientation course
· veteran-helpful withdrawal and readmission policies
· active Vets Club
· recreational and other extracurricular activities. Annual events include a “welcome back” and end-of-year picnics, recognition at home football and basketball games, a separate graduation ceremony for veterans and job fair.
· specially designated housing for student veterans. (EKU partnered with Kentucky River Foothills, a local non-profit organization, to obtain federal funding to help veterans in transition find and maintain suitable housing. Since the grant’s implementation, the funds have helped more than 100 student veterans.)
· Veteran Studies minor, believed to be the nation’s first, to help those who haven’t served in the military to better understand the issues that veterans face, and to help the veterans themselves deal with those issues.
· participation in the Colonels Cupboard initiative, with some of the donated food assisting veterans and their families.
· VA work-study employment opportunities.
· participation in the National Roll Call, at which campus volunteers read the names of military members who paid the ultimate cost for their service. (EKU is the host university for the annual event, tracking all the other participating institutions.)
For more information about services available at EKU for veterans and their dependents, contact the EKU Office of Military and Veterans Affairs at 859-622-2345 or EKUVeteransAffairs@eku.eduor visit va.eku.edu.