St. Davids, PA: Eastern University has been listed as one of the Best Colleges for Veterans among North Regional Universities by U.S. News and World Report. The ranking comes only months after Eastern’s launch of a new Military Recruitment Initiative in May 2016 that is designed to provide academic support and financial assistance to U.S. veterans and members of the military.
Over the past 31 years, the U.S. News college rankings, which groups schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities. The U.S. News and World Report list of Best Colleges for Veterans is comprised of colleges and universities that offer benefits for military veterans and active duty service members. Qualified schools must:
- Be certified for the GI Bill.
- Participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program or be a public school that charges in-state tuition to all out-of-state veterans.
- Be in the top half of its U.S. News ranking category and have 20 or more students who used GI Bill benefits to partially or fully finance their tuition and fees during 2015-2016.
“This recognition is very exciting as it adds validity to our diligent efforts towards becoming a truly veteran friendly institution,” said Director of Military Recruitment, Nick Snyder. “Since launching this initiative earlier this year we have already achieved several notable benchmarks including offering new financial awards to veteran students, making important information easier to access for veterans, and having on-site liaison and support for this population. The U.S. News' recognition of these efforts provides some external verification that we are on the right track toward serving our nation's veterans, and in turn will see continued growth in our enrollment efforts among this important group.”
As part of the Military Recruitment Initiative, Eastern now offers several financial awards to veterans, military spouses, and military dependents including the Hero Grant that discounts tuition for many graduate programs by 25 percent. Eastern’s new initiative includes plans to develop strategic relationships with the Department of Defense, military installations and veteran organizations to attract and best serve those who have served or are serving our country. The University has also created a user friendly centralized site for information on the website specific for those in the military and veterans at eastern.edu/military.
Eastern University is a Philadelphia Christian university of the arts and sciences located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia at 1300 Eagle Road in St. Davids, PA. Eastern enrolls approximately 3,800 students in its undergraduate, graduate, professional, urban, Seminary and international programs. Its core values of faith, reason and justice are woven into all of its educational programs. For more information visit www.eastern.edu or contact Denise McMillan, Communications Director, 610-341-4365, dmcmill@eastern.edu.