Best Military College | Photo by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
The website OnlineU recently ranked the Dayton, Ohio campus of Wright State University (WSU) as one of the top online military-friendly schools in the country due to its military culture and financial aid.
Background on the list
The list, which was published on Nov. 10, shows the 100 best online schools in the U.S. for students who are currently part of the armed forces, though it also applies to others connected to it.
“Our best military-friendly ranking highlights schools that are dedicated to serving the unique needs of military service members, veterans, and their families,” said OnlineU representative Adria Vaughan.
WSU is located in spot number 50 out of those 100 schools, situated between Western Washington University at 51 and San Antonio’s University of the Incarnate Word at 49. The university occupying the top spot on the list is Georgia State University.
Universities could be considered for this list if they offered at least one online bachelor’s degree program and took part in the federal government’s Tuition Assistance Program, and over 450 institutions were included.
How the rankings were determined
The ranking of those schools depended on four criteria: military culture, support, financial aid and flexibility.
A total of 15 data points, which were based on these criteria, were assessed for each university, and each category was given a specific weight after the data was entered into an algorithm. Military culture and financial aid were weighted the most during the scoring process.
Military culture, in terms of the ranking, involves how the universities go about giving their students who have served in the military a home where they can be comfortable and thriving in their program of choice.
The financial aid category is based on the level of benefits, including tuition assistance, scholarships, and discounts, that military students and their families receive and whether or not the college is a member of the Yellow Ribbon program, which helps provide additional benefits.
WSU is a member of that program, according to Veterans and Military Center (VMC) director Seth Gordon.
“All of those things we’ve essentially had passed our audits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ohio Department of Veterans Affairs regarding how we process the G.I. Bill,” said Gordon. “In many years, people will say if you want to know how to process the G.I. Bill right, look at Wright State.”
Gordon said this was almost entirely due to the efforts of VMC associate director Amanda Watkins.
“[She has] built a really strong process and structure to make sure that we process the G.I. Bill right, which is what most veterans want us to do,” said Gordon.
Where to go from here
This data came from the bill’s Comparison Tool, which is provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a resource to help students in the military make important decisions about their education. That tool is updated every year, gathering data from the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the Department of Education in order to create its rankings and help students choose the right college.
There is room to improve with what the university offers their military students, according to Gordon, including matching the undergraduate tuition rate for active-duty students to the tuition assistance rate.
However, Gordon said that it is nice for the university to be recognized for the hard work that they have undertaken in order to support these students.
“That’s the cliche thing to say, but it’s true,” said Gordon. “Wright State really cares about military-connected students and veterans, and it very much demonstrates that.”
Liberal arts student Ivan Mallett, who serves in the Army National Guard as an intelligence analyst, is content with WSU being ranked on the list.
“It’s definitely awesome for our university and I think it is well deserved,” said Mallett.
The VMC has helped him and other military students in their academic careers, and Mallett is grateful for that.
“Even with COVID, the Veteran and Military Center has been very responsive to the needs of military students and have maintained communication with us as well,” said Mallett.
