St. Cloud State University has earned the 2020 Military Friendly® Top 10 School designation.
St. Cloud State exceeded Military Friendly standards on every measure. As a Top 10 school, St. Cloud State is among the Top 10 in our scoring category. Top 10 schools are seen by Military Friendly as setting “the standard for other designations and are programs that continue to improve every year.”
“This designation given to St. Cloud State helps us explain our commitment and our story to the military and veteran communities in Minnesota and across the country,” said Zac Mangas, St. Cloud State Veterans Resources director. “We aren’t just telling prospective students we are a veteran or military-friendly campus. We are gathering data, sharing programs and discussing support systems created that help this community be successful.”
St. Cloud State has improved policies and procedures for student-veterans and offers in-state tuition and waiving application fees for all veteran applicants.
Once veterans are enrolled, St. Cloud State offers free tutoring, employment help and programs to ease the transition to civilian life.
“On a daily basis our campus is stepping up and filling the gaps for student veterans who may require additional guidance to reach graduation,” Mangas said. “This comes from a number of different areas around our community, and it is something we should all take pride in.”
The designation joins other veterans-related accolades for St. Cloud State including the 2019 ‘Best for Vets” ranking by Military Times and the Military Advanced Education and Transition Top School distinction in 2017.
St. Cloud State was one of only 695 schools to earn the Military Friendly Schools designation for 2020-2021. The university is one of only 15 of Minnesota colleges or universities on the list and one of six Minnesota State institutions honored along with St. Cloud Technical & Community College.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,000 schools participated in the 2020-2021 survey.
Visit our website to find out more information about St. Cloud State’s student veteran programs.
The 2020-2021 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
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. View the methodology.
“Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to colleges creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to invest in programs to provide educational outcomes that are better for the Military Community as a whole,” said Military Friendly’s National Director Josh Rosen.
St. Cloud State Veterans programs
Veterans Living Community – great opportunity for service members and student veterans who want to share an apartment and receive support, one-on-one meetings with the VRC director, and have assistance while pursuing their degree.
Military-connected student orientation — helps students connect with one another and key staff that will help them persist in school. This also includes the Veterans Appreciation Picnic where they connect with community support and other students at the start of the academic year.
Award winning ROTC program
Veterans Fall Retreat – each October we take students out to Camp Courage to connect with nature, ride horses, and have a bonfire and cookout. Those with families come out and they meet one another and share a time of relaxation away from their studies. We have developed a great partner with Camp Courage who offers this free of charge to our student veterans.
A&R Days, Preview Days, Discover Red and Black Days, etc. – we meet with students ahead of time and prepare them to start off on the right foot.
Veterans Day Programs and Concerts
Veterans Resource Center — We offer student veterans the opportunity to be employed in the Veterans Resource Center, as well as
- peer mentorships
- scholarships
- private study room
- computer lab
- social lounge
- Student Veterans Organization
- access to information on education benefits
- a student veteran emergency relief fund
- access to tutor funding and other financial assistance
- credit for military service and training
- exit interviews
- honor cords for student veteran graduates
