UI one of three Midwest universities to lead list

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Thursday, November 21, 2013
Written by: Amy Mattson

The University of Iowa is one of the top 10 best colleges for veterans, according to new rankings released in the inaugural U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges for Veterans. The UI ranks sixth among 234 national and regional institutions.

“It’s critical that we provide a transition space for our veterans,” says UI chief diversity officer and veteran Georgina Dodge.“I’m delighted that the hard work we’ve been doing has been recognized. We understand that veterans are an under-represented population and do our best to ensure that they have the tools and services they need to succeed in higher education and in the workforce.”

Available resources for veterans on-campus include the GI Bill Certification Office and the Military and Veterans Student Services Office—part of the UI Chief Diversity Office—where veterans can access assistance in areas that range from childcare to employment and mentoring.

“We really want to help folks develop the soft skills they need to get a job, and create a university culture that demonstrates we care and understand,” says Allen Roberts, UI military and veteran education specialist.

There are currently about 600 veterans enrolled at the UI, around half of whom are married with children. Many have never seen combat.

All of the Best Colleges for Veterans scored high marks when it came to graduation rates, faculty resources, reputation, and other indicators of academic quality in the 2014 edition of U.S. News Best Colleges.

The nine other schools ranked in the Top 10 are Pennsylvania State University-University Park (ranked No. 1); Tulane University and the University of Texas-Austin (tied at 2); Syracuse University (4); Texas A&M University-College Station (5); Indiana University-Bloomington, Marquette University and Miami University-Oxford (tied at 7); and the University of Vermont (10). View more here.

To qualify for the Best Colleges for Veterans ranking, schools had to be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, federal initiatives that aid veterans with tuition and fees. They also had to be part of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium.

This is the first time U.S. News & World Report has ranked best colleges for veterans.