NOVA Named 8th in Nation as Premier 2021-2022 Military Friendly® School

NOVA has been named one of the top ten Military Friendly® Schools by ViQtory, a military marketing and recruiting firm. Seeking to provide veterans and military spouses with the best possible education that fits in with their many other priorities, NOVA is proud to be ranked eighth in the nation out of 747 schools to receive this prestigious designation.

The 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® Schools designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey.

“NOVA has been ranked every year since 2011, and to make the top ten, ahead of so many other excellent colleges affirms how diverse our institution is and how responsive we are to the unique needs of students here,” said Takesha McMiller, director of military and veteran services. “Military life is not easy and being able to sort out resources such as veteran’s benefits, tuition assistance, military dependent assistance and more has always been the Office of Military and Veterans Services’ highest priorities.

NOVA serves over 5,000 military-affiliated students and their spouses in easing the transition from military life to civilian life while also assisting those on active duty. In providing an educational platform to success while helping these students access needed resources allows for peace of mind for these hardworking veterans, military service members and their families.

“NOVA is committed to supporting entire military families,” said Dr. Frances Villagran-Glover, vice president of student services at NOVA. “As a military spouse, I recognize that these adult learners come to us with a wealth of experiences from their travels. We even have military students taking online courses while they are stationed abroad. It is fantastic that NOVA is recognized nationally for implementing systems that greatly increase student success.”

Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by ViQtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council, a group of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey response set and government/agency public data sources, within a logic-based scoring assessment. They measure 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.

“Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to consistently evolve and invest in their programs. Schools who achieve this designation show true commitment and dedication in their efforts. Our standards assist schools by providing a benchmark that promotes positive educational outcomes, resources and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the Military Community,” said Kayla Lopez, national director of military partnerships at Military Friendly Schools®.

For details on NOVA’s programs geared toward military spouses, veterans and active duty service members, please contact, Takesha McMiller, director of military and veteran services at tamcmiller@nvcc.edu. For questions about Military Friendly Schools®, please contact Kayla Lopez, national director of military partnerships at mf2021@militaryfriendly.com.