Continued commitment to the success of military-affiliated students has led to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ seventh-consecutive Gold distinction in the annual Military Friendly schools rankings.
UCCS was awarded a Gold ranking as the university outperformed Military Friendly’s standards in six categories, including academic policies and compliance, admissions and orientation, culture and commitment, financial aid and assistance, graduation and career, and military student support and retention. UCCS has been recognized as a Military Friendly school each year since 2016.
“Receiving the Gold designation again is an absolute honor for UCCS, as we continue to serve our military, veterans and their family members,” said Lisa Buckman, Director of Veteran and Military Affairs. “With 20 percent of our student population having a military affiliation in a deeply rooted military town, it is our honor to serve those who have served our nation by having a robust support system within our office and across campus to ensure their success as students.”
Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation are evaluated using both public data
sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the
2022–23 survey, with just 665 earning special awards for going above the standard.
“Military Friendly is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our
designation process,” said Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships for Military Friendly. “Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard.”
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.
About the University of Colorado Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) offers 55 bachelor’s, 24 master’s and eight doctoral degree programs and enrolls about 12,000 students annually. Located in the heart of Colorado Springs, UCCS has a strong student focus and access mission, with a goal of transforming lives for the better. Learn more about UCCS at uccs.edu.