How Colleges Can Efficiently Attract and Support Veterans

Effectively enrolling and supporting student veterans is more than a patriotic gesture—it should be a strategic priority. While colleges nationwide aim to diversify their student populations, student veterans offer a unique opportunity. These students are highly motivated and bring diverse experiences that can significantly enhance any campus community.

Here’s how colleges can implement cost-effective strategies to attract and support military students, transforming a socially responsible effort into a financially rewarding one.

The Potential of Student Veterans

Student veterans contribute a wealth of experience, leadership skills, and a global perspective that enriches classroom discussions and campus life. Many are first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. Yet, they typically have higher degree completion rates, carry higher GPAs, and are more likely to attend full-time than non-veteran students.

Student veterans’ maturity, life experiences, and diverse perspectives make them invaluable assets to an academic environment. Recognizing their contributions not only benefits campus culture but also strengthens the financial health of the institution.

Investing in Student Veterans

One key differentiator for student veterans is their access to robust education benefits, which reduces their need for additional financial aid and increases their chances of academic success. However, enrollment is just one part of the equation. Veterans face unique challenges that other students may not, making it crucial for colleges to understand and address them.

Institutions that successfully recruit and support military students are fulfilling their social responsibilities and investing wisely in a financially stable student demographic.

Effective Enrollment Tactics

• Evaluate Your Current Military Engagement: Start by assessing your institution’s military population. Engage with colleagues or staff with military affiliations to gather insights about the experiences of military students. Identify what your institution is doing well and where you can make improvements. Hosting listening sessions with veteran students can provide valuable feedback. Understanding why they chose your college can reveal insights into word-of-mouth networks within the military community—a powerful tool for recruitment.
• Target Your Marketing Efforts: Marketing on or near military bases should be a cornerstone of your strategy. Focus on installations close to your campus or near clusters of veteran applicants. Understanding why these veterans are drawn to your institution—whether it’s program flexibility or specific offerings for their military occupational specialty—can help refine your value proposition.
• Simplify Admissions Processes: Streamlining admissions and recognizing military training as part of academic credentials can enhance your institution’s appeal to veterans and speed up their enrollment process.
• Tailored Communication: Developing communication strategies specifically for veterans can be transformative. Leveraging word-of-mouth recommendations from well-supported veterans can amplify your efforts. Effective use of digital platforms and social media can ensure that your message of support and opportunity reaches military students.
• Leverage Partnerships: Collaborating with local and national veteran organizations and utilizing VA resources can support veteran students without significant additional costs. Establishing relationships with military education offices and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation offices on bases can be crucial to this strategy.

Supporting Veterans: A Cost-Effective Investment

• Veteran-Specific Programs: Implementing veteran-specific orientation programs can address these students’ unique challenges. Establishing a veterans resource center or dedicated support services can also significantly improve their campus experience.
• Peer Mentorship Initiatives: Creating peer mentorship programs where veteran students support one another is effective and economical. Partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to facilitate a Veteran Ambassador Work-Study Program allows eligible students to earn wages while assisting fellow veterans, reducing the need for extensive staff resources.
• Flexible Academic Policies: Adapting academic policies to accommodate the unique needs of active-duty military, National Guard, and Reserve members and their spouses can demonstrate your institution’s commitment to military-affiliated students. Allowing flexibility for service obligations can ensure continued enrollment and academic success.

The ROI of Supporting Veterans: A Mutual Benefit

Investing in student veterans yields substantial returns for colleges. Veterans are not only well-funded but also enhance the academic environment with their unique perspectives and experiences. Their success stories can elevate your institution’s reputation and attract future students. Additionally, by supporting student veterans, colleges can free up financial aid resources for other students, optimizing the use of university funds.

A Strategic Opportunity

Embracing student veterans is essential in today’s higher education landscape. Colleges should seize this opportunity to enhance their campuses culturally and financially by effectively supporting the students who have served our country.

Virtual Veterans Communities (VVC) is a mission-driven organization dedicated to improving higher education and employment outcomes for military-connected students. We exist to support institutions serving the students who serve our country. Whether you need a proven approach to on-base marketing, a turnkey online community, one-on-one coaching for military-connected students or team development, VVC stands ready.