Continued commitment to the success of military-affiliated students has led to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ eighth-consecutive Gold distinction in the annual Military Friendly schools rankings. This year, UCCS was recognized as a Top Ten school in the category of Large Public institutions, ranking eighth.
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.
“We are honored to have earned the number eight spot in the Top Ten Military Friendly Large Public Schools this year,” said Crista Hill, Director of Veteran and Military Affairs. “This designation is based on many criteria to include retention and graduation rates, persistence, programs and accommodations for our 2,400-plus military-affiliated students and is reflective of the commitment that UCCS has made to supporting our robust military community. It is our absolute honor and duty to support the academic efforts of those who have served our country, those currently serving, and each of their family members.”
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.
Learn more about student veteran programs at UCCS at military.uccs.edu.
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.