Veterans face numerous options when it comes to life after service, from getting married to landing an exciting job. However, one of the best ways to elicit joy from life is by pursuing a beloved career. In some cases, former servicemembers may need to return to school to acquire the skills they need to land their preferred job. Thankfully, veterans can easily view their options for college.
U.S. News & World Report has compiled a list of the best colleges for veterans. The criteria for determining the best institutions for veterans are based on multiple factors that will hopefully allow servicemembers to choose a suitable college when military tenure ends.
U.S. News' methodology
According to U.S. News, a oft-used method of matching veterans with schools is the GI Bill, which was designed after World War II to help veterans who had fought for their country have an opportunity to receive a stellar education. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, it provided veterans with education and housing, leading millions of soldiers to enter academia. Without the GI Bill, the post-WWII world would have seen a deluge of veterans enter the job market, according to the source.
The source also noted that the bill was heavily contentious at the time, sparking arguments from various political figures. The source noted that this was due to the unprecedented nature of the bill – soldiers had rarely pursued higher education in the U.S. at this time and some thought the bill would not work successfully. However, many would think that these fears have proven to be unfounded, as numerous veterans have gone on to achieve success in higher education.
In this vein, a key component of the U.S. News compendia of excellent colleges for veterans is to ensure that the college a veteran is looking at also accepts benefits from the GI Bill. U.S. News also looks at more recent policy that effects veterans. This is done to ensure that veterans of recent wars the U.S. fought in realize the full range of the benefits veterans are entitled to. There have been many updates to programs assisting veterans over the years.
Many beneficial programs
For example, the post-9/11 yellow ribbon program is taken into account when U.S. News compiled its list. This program is an update to the original GI Bill, providing for the entire tuition at a public school of the veterans' choosing. It also lowers the cost of tuition at private schools, allowing a veteran to capitalize on years of service. The benefits for veterans from this program are innumerable – they allow a veteran to pursue an education that may have been unfeasible before military service.
Veterans interested in learning more about the requirements and benefits of the yellow ribbon program should visit the Veterans Administration website. The site has a page providing explicit information on eligibility requirements and a list of schools that participate in the program, excellent news for a veteran who has been hunting for the perfect school.
U.S. News reports list various schools that fulfill aspects of the rubric, with Pennsylvania State University topping the list. Some other notable schools that made the comprehensive list are the University of Texas- Austin, the University of Iowa and Drexel University.
There are 52 schools that U.S. News believes are ideally suited to veterans, so a soldier contemplating life after military should minutely investigate each school on the list to discover the best fit. College is a time of adventure and new experiences that will be both fulfilling and enlightening if a veteran is able to find a school that fits cultural interests and pursuits.