The internet website Military Friendly has once again named Jacksonville University one of the nation’s Military Friendly Schools for 2020-21.
This year, Military Friendly named Jacksonville University a “Silver” school in its category, which is a private school offering doctorate degrees. That means the University’s scores fell within 20 percent of the 10th ranked school in the category.
The list of Military Friendly Schools is developed through the evaluation of both public data and proprietary data gathered through the free Military Friendly Schools survey, which is offered to more than 8,800 institutions nationwide. Each year, schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than in previous years via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and the Military Friendly Advisory Council.
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined 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. The benchmark is set by the score of the leading institution in each category.
Military Friendly recognizes only those colleges with the most outstanding programs for veterans and spouses, specifically by pinpointing resources that ensure not only success in the classroom, but in translating military competencies into training and positive employment after graduation.
Now in its 10th year, the Military Friendly Schools designation offers service members and their families transparent, data-driven ratings about post-military education and career opportunities. This year’s list highlights 625 Military Friendly Schools showing the most exemplary practices in support of military students. The 2020-2021 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. The list can also be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
Student veterans make up more than 10 percent of Jacksonville University’s 4,000-plus enrollment. The University provides the Defenders’ Den as a centrally located study center and lounge for student veterans and host to the University’s Student Veterans of America chapter.
In addition, JU provides the Veterans and Military Resource Center to assist its veterans with admission, transition, academic success, and student involvement.
More than $5 million in VA benefits are paid annually to student veterans, and the University is a 100 percent Yellow Ribbon Match school. Our more than 40-year-old Naval NROTC Unit was the first chartered in Florida and has commissioned more than 1,500 Navy Ensigns and Marine Corps Second Lieutenants.
This is the latest in a series of positive rankings from respected independent organizations that indicate Jacksonville University’s continuing commitment to the pursuit of excellence:
- In September 2019, U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges Rankings placed Jacksonville University 28th among 136 schools in the Regional Universities South category, 38th on the Best Value Schools list, and 16th among the Best Colleges for Veterans in the South.
- In October 2019, the personal finance website SmartAsset named Jacksonville University the sixth best-value college in the state. It is the only Jacksonville-area college and one of only two Northeast Florida institutions ranked in the Top 10. SmartAsset also reported that Jacksonville University graduates earned the sixth-highest starting wage of graduates from all Florida colleges in 2018.
- In November 2019, The Military Times ranked Jacksonville for the fourth straight year on its Best Vets Colleges list. The University also received a four-star rating – the Military Times’ highest mark – in its GI Bill gap coverage, which rates how well schools reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket tuition costs for post-9/11 GI Bill users.
- In January, US News & World Report ranked Jacksonville University’s online Nursing Master’s Program 20th in Best Online Nursing Master’s Programs for Veterans, the only Florida school to be included in the category. US News ranked Jacksonville University 66th overall in Best Online Master’s in Nursing Program.
- Also in January, the internet website Online School’s Report ranked the Jacksonville University online master of science in sports management program 29th best in the nation.