“U.S. News & World Report” recognizes Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in its inaugural issue of Best Colleges for Veterans. SMWC ranks sixth for Best Regional Colleges (Midwest) for helping veterans pursue a college education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The new rankings provide data and information on colleges and universities that offer federal benefits, including tuition and housing assistance, to veterans and active service members.
“We are grateful to the women and men in the military. In honoring their service, we developed programs and policies designed to boost academic success of veterans, student service members and their families,” said Dottie King, Ph.D., president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. “We offer educational benefits and customized support services making it a smooth transition to earn a high quality education on campus or in our online program – accessible from anywhere in the world.”
To qualify for the new rankings, the schools had to be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium. All of the Best Colleges for Veterans scored well in terms of graduation rate, faculty resources, reputation and other markers of academic quality in the 2014 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges.
Additionally, SMWC offers a tuition discount for military students and spouses enrolling in its distance education program, Woods Online. Those who have served in the military will receive the special tuition rate of $250 per credit hour.
“While all prospective students seek a good education from a reputable institution, our military veterans can take advantage of expanded educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer for U.S. News. “We developed these rankings to help them find a top-quality institution that also offers federal benefits that ease the burden of applying, paying for and completing a college degree.”
In total, there are 234 ranked schools across all 10 categories: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities (North, South, Midwest and West) and Regional Colleges (North, South, Midwest and West).