Oakton named to Military Friendly Schools list
Oakton Community College has been named to VIQTORY's coveted Military Friendly Schools list for the fourth straight year.
The 2019-20 Military Friendly Schools list honors the colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans and spouses as students and to ensure their success on campus.
"Oakton values our veteran and military students, which account for about two percent of all students. These students bring real world experience and diversity to our campuses, enriching the experience for everyone," Oakton President Joianne Smith says.
"To be a part of the list of Military Friendly Schools each year shows Oakton's commitment to providing a supportive environment for our military veterans and students."
The Military Friendly Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly Schools survey from participating institutions. That data reinforces what many students already know.
"It is a distinction and honor for Oakton to be recognized as a Military Friendly School," says Academic Advisor Brooke Roche, who serves as veteran's liaison in Oakton's Office of Advising, Transitions and Student Success.
"Oakton provides specialized services to our veteran student population, allowing them to experience holistic development, both academically - achieved through individual advising appointments that lead to a designated educational pathway - and socially and personally through programs and projects spearheaded by the Oakton Student Veteran Club."
The Military Friendly Schools list, with interactive tools and search functionality, is intended to help military students find the best school to suit their unique needs and preferences.
Colleges, universities and trade schools on the annual list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. This year 766 schools earned the designation.
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.
A full story and detailed list of 2019-20 Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the annual G.I. Jobs Guide to Military Friendly Schools distributed in print and digital format in May to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel and on militaryfriendly.com.