Eastern Kentucky University ranks among the 2018 Top Military-Friendly Online Colleges, according to SR Education Group.
It’s just the latest high national ranking for EKU, which earlier this year College Choice ranked seventh nationally, and tops in Kentucky, among the best colleges and universities for military veterans. Last fall, Eastern finished 14th nationally in the annual Military Times: Best Colleges rankings, up from 17th the previous year. In the College Choice survey, EKU was the only public university from Kentucky or any adjacent state in the top 10. In the Military Times rankings, EKU was the only school from Kentucky or any adjacent state to crack the top 20.
To arrive at its rankings, SR Education Group evaluated accredited institutions offering online degrees using factors important to military students: tuition, military culture, prevalence of support services for online students, flexibility and military-specific financial aid.
Home to almost 1,200 military-affiliated students and dependents, Eastern launched in 2010 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.
· maximum credit hours for military experience.
· assistance from the University’s Vet Success on Campus Coordinator.
· book vouchers and Books for Boots Exchange Library.
· veteran-helpful withdrawal and readmission policies.
· 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.
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.
Consistently recognized as having some of the nation’s best online degree programs, EKU strives to make quality education accessible to everyone. EKU is an accredited, brick-and-mortar institution that has offered online degree programs since 2006. Today, more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree options are available in a variety of fields. To learn more about EKU Online programs, visit ekuonline.eku.edu.