Virginia Peninsula Community College was named to the 2023 Best for Vets list by Military Times.
The Times combines public data from the Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs with a survey that each institution receives. The comprehensive survey explores the graduation rate of veterans, how many veterans each college serves, how many are active duty, tuition rates, facilities, and other services or opportunities other than VA benefits offered.
Virginia Peninsula Community College ranked 19th in the Appalachian region for public two-year institutions. This year, 325 schools made the list – up nearly 5% over last year, according to Military Times.
“It is an honor to again receive national recognition as Best for Vets by the Military Times. Our Military & Veteran Services team (MVS) continues to deliver outstanding student support and customer service to our active-duty service members, veterans, spouses, and dependents,” said Marc Vernon, director of Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Military & Veteran Services at VPCC.
“Our highly motivated team takes pride in providing and maintaining a safe, comfortable, supportive, and judgment-free environment for our military/veteran student population,” he added.
The College has made the Best for Vets list several years including 2016, 2018 and 2019 when it was ranked among career and technical colleges, and again in 2021 and 2022 securing spots among public two-year institutions in the Appalachian region, according to MVS. Military Times cancelled the list in 2020 due to the pandemic.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, military-affiliated students (e.g. active duty, veteran, spouse, or military dependent) represented 26.1% of 8,676 credit students at VPCC.
Vernon said the College takes many strides to ensure veterans and military-affiliated students have impactful experiences.
“During the past year, MVS increased student advocacy, advising, and support services. Our State Certifying Officials (SCOs) along with our VERITAS Liaison (Veterans Education Resource Initiative for Transition, Advising and Success) have gone above and beyond to provide comprehensive and customized services to current and prospective veteran and military-affiliated students,” he noted, lauding MVS for their commitment and “outstanding” performance.
“On behalf of our college, we salute the MVS team for a job well done. Being recognized for our dedication and culture of caring in support of military and veteran families is a privilege,” added Vernon.
Mike Gruss, editor-in-chief at Sightline Media Group (parent company of Military Times) said for 10 years, Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges has supported the military community through its ranking and reporting on the top schools for veterans.
Gruss emphasized that these rankings have become a “go-to resource” for schools to spread the word about their veteran programs and help veterans make important decisions about educational planning and how to use the education benefits their military service afforded.
Learn more about Virginia Peninsula Community College and its educational services for military students at www.vpcc.edu.
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Career & Technical Colleges is the specific verbiage MVS want used