UMGC Also Placed Fourth Among All Public Institutions and Fifth Among All Universities Participating in the Rankings
Adelphi, Md. (Sept. 8, 2022)—University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) ranked highly in three major categories of the 2022 Military Times’ Best for Vets: Colleges survey:
- 1st among online universities
- 4th among public universities
- And 5th overall among the 300 universities that participated in the rankings
“We are proud and deeply honored to be recognized for the stellar service and support our faculty and staff provide to our military students,” said Gregory W. Fowler, president of UMGC. “This is rooted in our history, and as we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year, we are equally proud that our public mission has never changed. Our institution was established to reach students where they are, beyond the bounds of the traditional classroom, including those military personnel for whom a traditional education was impractical or impossible. Our commitment to them has never waivered—and never will.”
The Military Times rankings are based on a survey of institutions and an evaluation of their services and programs specific to military-affiliated students, including active-duty and veteran servicemembers and their families and dependents.
Among its standout programs and services for military students, UMGC is one of only four schools in the country that have two Veterans Administration VetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) counselors. In addition to scholarships and grant-based funding opportunities for military students, UMGC also offers Pillars of Strength scholarships, a unique program that provides full tuition and fees to the volunteer caregivers of wounded, injured or ill servicemembers. Since its inception in 2013, 59 caregivers have received the scholarships, with total funding in excess of $900,000.
Since 2017, UMGC’s nationally recognized Veterans Assistance Fund (VAF) has awarded more than $165,000 in grant-based funding to student veterans; to date, every single VAF recipient has either successfully graduated or is progressing toward a degree. In the most recently completed academic year, more than $100,000 in scholarships were awarded to military connected students.
UMGC also offers a peer to-peer mentoring program for military-affiliated students available through the university’s virtual student union platform. The One2One program allows mentors to provide guidance on navigating VA benefits and offer encouragement. This vital program currently consists of 296 participating mentors and mentees.
To assist faculty and staff, UMGC also offers a comprehensive training program that highlights the characteristics, demographics and needs of the military-affiliated student population. A module of the training specifically designed for students allows them to have a greater understanding of what UMGC has in place for its military connected population.
“We take a significant amount of pride in offering the best services we can to our military students,” said Maj. Gen. Lloyd “Milo” Miles (U.S. Army, Ret.), senior vice president for Global Military Operations at UMGC. “We know from decades of experience that military-connected students face unique challenges while serving, transitioning out of the military, or as veterans who are striving for post-military career success. UMGC continuously looks for ways to improve these services, ensuring that our students understand the changing landscape, whether that is understanding their education benefits, learning skills needed to succeed, or preparing to stand out in a competitive job market.”
With an enrollment of some 90,000 students (more than half of whom are military affiliated), UMGC offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in a wide range of disciplines including biotechnology, cybersecurity, data analytics, and information technology that are in high demand in today’s increasingly technical, global workplace.
UMGC accepts up to 90 transfer credits for military training and experience and prior college coursework, and proudly participates in the VA Post-9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon program. Dedicated advisors assist military-affiliated students in navigating their educational benefits and planning their academic and career paths.
In 2015, UMGC became the first large, public university in the country to eliminate publisher textbooks in most classes, adopting Open Educational Resources (OERs) that are curated by faculty and made available at no cost to students, saving them thousands of dollars over the course of their academic program.
UMGC was also the first institution to teach active-duty military personnel overseas when it sent seven faculty members to post-war Europe in 1949. The university expanded overseas operations to Asia in 1956 and to the Middle East in 2005. UMGC faculty have taught in the war zones of Vietnam, Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
UMGC now offers classes to military service personnel and their families at more than 180 locations in more than 20 countries and territories. Today, more than half of the university’s students are active-duty military personnel and their dependents, members of the National Guard and veterans.
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