UTSA takes the gold for its commitment to military-affiliated students
UTSA has been named a Gold Military Friendly School for 2022-2023 by Viqtory Inc., publisher of Military Friendly, the longest-running review of the colleges and universities that are investing in service to military-affiliated students. UTSA was one of 10 Tier One research institutions to earn the gold designation for its leading practices, outcomes and effective programs.
This year’s awards were based on responses from more than 1,800 schools that filled out the Military Friendly Schools surveys. A total of 665 schools earned a gold, silver or bronze designation. Of those, 282 took home the gold.
UTSA exceeded all six standards set by Military Friendly Schools, scoring better than 80% in the categories of culture and commitment (85%), financial aid and assistance (88%) and graduation and career (86%).
“UTSA’s Center for Military Affiliated Students is staffed entirely by veterans and family members.”
“UTSA now has the largest population of military-affiliated students in the UT system. Veterans and their family members are clearly voting with their feet, so to speak, which indicates that we are a destination of choice for military-affiliated students in Texas,” said Michael Logan ’10 ’11 ‘19, senior director of the UTSA Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (VMA). “Being recognized as a gold status school is a reflection of our efforts to go beyond being simply military friendly and being truly military inclusive.”
In its review of UTSA, Military Friendly states that individuals should attend UTSA for its location in the City of San Antonio, known as Military City, USA, for its support of service members and veterans. Military Friendly also highlights the VMA and its dedication to advocacy, innovation and collaboration to support its military-affiliated students.
"VMA houses two VA VetSuccess on Campus counselors, provides federal and state certification and provides programming, which include: priority registration, tailored orientation, mentoring, workshops, emergency funding, scholarships and community partnerships to ease education and career transitions," Military Friendly wrote.
The VMA encompasses federal and state benefit certification, the Military Affiliated Collaborative (MAC), and the UTSA Center for Military Affiliated Students, which serves more than 5,000 service members, veterans, and their families so they may achieve their educational goals. UTSA serves one of the nation’s largest active and retired military populations. About 16% of the university’s students are affiliated with the military. They include active-duty military members, veterans, reserves/guards, and their spouses and dependents
“UTSA’s Center for Military Affiliated Students is staffed entirely by veterans and family members. This gives us a strong connection to those we serve, because they’re us,” Logan said. “It is this connection to our students that drives the dedication our staff and student workers demonstrate every day, and undoubtedly influenced our gold status recognition.”
The 2022-2023 Military Friendly School list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine.
