Second Straight Year: St. Thomas Earns Military Friendly School Gold

The University of St. Thomas’ dedication to student veterans continues to be recognized at the top level.

For the second year in a row, the university received the Military Friendly School Gold Award. St. Thomas has been recognized as a Military Friendly School for six years in a row.

“I’m thankful to St. Thomas faculty, staff and administration for their support of our goal to be the most veteran-friendly campus in the Upper Midwest,” Director of Veterans Services Norman Ferguson Jr. said. “Our student veterans see that we take our commitment to them seriously. One aspect of that is the Paul and Sarah Karon Veterans Resource Center, which serves as a hub for them to access financial help, academic advising and mental health support.”

Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2023-24 survey, with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard.

The 2023-24 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at militaryfriendly.com.

“Military Friendly is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process,” said Kayla Lopez, national director of military partnerships for Military Friendly. “Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard.”

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by recruitment marketing company Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

St. Thomas continues to receive high marks from many sources for its services designed for military veterans pursuing their college degrees. The university has ranked in the top 100 schools on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges for Veterans list for four years in a row, most recently landing at No. 89.

St. Thomas also has been named twice to U.S. Veterans Magazine’s “Top Veteran-Friendly Schools” list. In addition, the university has been named to the Military Times “Best for Vets” list two years in a row, a comprehensive ranking of schools for military service members and veterans.

To learn more about the ways in which St. Thomas is honoring veteran students, visit the St. Thomas Veterans Resources website.