01 May 2023 UCA earns 2023-24 Military Friendly® School Designation

CONWAY–The University of Central Arkansas has earned the 2023-2024 Military Friendly® School designation. Military Friendly® is owned and operated by Viqtory, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business.

Institutions earning this 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 530 earning special awards for going above the standard.

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

“We are incredibly honored to be named a 2023-24 Military Friendly School. Receiving this designation validates the work the Veterans Resource Center and our UCA campus community put toward being a welcoming and inclusive environment for veterans and military-connected students. Often, veterans entered their military service when they were young and have been away from the classroom for quite some time,” said Kevin Thomas, associate vice president for Enrollment Management. “The Veterans Resource Center, in collaboration with many campus offices and community partners, is an essential part of supporting veterans and military-connected students in their path toward a degree.” 

Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by 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.

“Great things have been happening with our UCA Veterans operation! We continue to make progress on our future Veterans Resource Center, we are seeing a noticeable increase in our military connected student enrollment, and there is a renewed energy towards supporting that population,” said Greg Pelts, director of Veteran Resource Center. “Our level of networking with the Central Arkansas Veterans community has also increased. It’s hard not to be excited about what we have going on!” 

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

For more information about UCA’s student veteran programs, visit UCA Veteran Services.