A Standardized Tool for Measuring Military Friendliness of Colleges and Universities

Abstract

A thorough review of the literature was conducted to identify the practices experts, members of the military, educational institutions, and advocacy groups believe military-friendly institutions of higher education should demonstrate. From the review, we created a list of 73 practices organized into 12 practice areas. A survey of military personnel and higher education administrators who educate large numbers of military college students revealed 48 of the 73 higher education practices as necessary for supporting military learner needs, with 10 practices identified as most critical. The practices may serve as the foundation for developing a flexible, modular, service member–focused educational profile benefitting both higher education institutions and military learners. Higher education institutions can use the tool to ensure they are military friendly, and military learners seeking a higher education degree can use the tool to evaluate higher education institution practices, therefore making a more informed choice about the college they attend.