5 Strategies for Making an Institution Military Friendly
As higher education enrollments continue to decline, finding new student populations will be increasingly important. One segment with great potential is military students. There are an estimated 2.2 million military service members, 3.1 million immediate family members, and 23.4 million veterans in the United States — a large pool to attract to a university.
And these students want an education. According to a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs, between 2009 and 2012, on average, 108,568 veterans annually enrolled in full-time programs and 17,021 veterans per year enrolled in part-time programs using the GI Bill benefit. While the number of active duty military pursuing their degree is harder to pin down, every branch of the military has programs to enable active duty military to pursue a degree while serving and estimates are as high as several hundred personnel per branch per year are earning their degree.
GI Bill benefits can be confusing, because they vary based on a number of factors, such as what type of school students enroll in, how long they served in the military, if a housing allowance is needed, and more.
For years, the for-profit education institutions dominated the space. They aggressively recruited on bases and developed policies specifically designed to attract military students. Their tactics were successful, but their outcomes were not, and the pushback on these schools has been significant. Many are no longer welcome on bases, and military personnel are warned away from these institutions.
To fill the gap, some major players in the non-profit space have jumped at the potential for this audience. University Maryland University College, Saint Leo University and CSU Global all are making concerted efforts to recruit military students.
What this competition means, of course, as well as this significant population, is that schools looking to expand their potential student base need to focus on becoming military friendly. Here are five strategies institutions should adopt for military students.
Military Friendly Strategies
Specialize enrollment. The enrollment process should be fast, simple and fully online for military students. If they are abroad, they will not have access to, for example, old transcripts or documentation they might need. We have found the best way to handle these students is with a dedicated military enrollment counselor. This is a person well versed in the requirements for how to apply, how to access military benefits, what degrees might be most helpful and what special considerations active duty military personnel might need. Veterans can be good people to hire for this role, as they “speak the language” and can assuage any concerns potential students may have.
Offer asynchronous, fully online degrees. This one seems obvious, but the best way for active duty military to earn their degree is online. They are, obviously, not guaranteed to stay in any one place for long, and they are already working full time in the military. In addition to being fully online, degree programs need to be asynchronous. Students could be located anywhere around the world, and their time is not necessarily their own. Making it as flexible and easy as possible for them to access their courses and submit their assignments will be key to helping these students succeed.
Peg tuition to the GI Bill and waive fees. Affordability is one of the key factors for any student, and especially so for military students. Those institutions that have active duty military tuition as the same as what the GI Bill offers have the best chance of attracting students, and also of being listed as a preferred provider by the military. Not only that, consider waiving all fees, such as application fees or technology fees for taking online programs. The military is one of the greatest word of mouth resources out there — once one student has a positive experience, thousands of others stationed with them have the potential to hear about that positive experience. An easy, feel-good benefit, such as waiving a fee (which is typically only a nominal loss for an institution) can reap immense benefits in improved name recognition on a military base.
Offer accommodation for military out in the field. In addition to the asynchronous classes mentioned above, military students will need some accommodation made for them on active duty. Flexibility with how assignments are delivered and an understanding of the unique situation will be critical. If they are out on patrol, for example, they will not have the time or the access to take a quiz, participate in a discussion board or turn in a paper. Professors who work with students to allow them to make up assignments, work early or otherwise accommodate these unique needs will see a higher satisfaction score and have a more robust completion rate.
Free e-books also are an important consideration for active duty military. These students will not be able to be shipped textbooks in time for classes to begin. Not only that, physical textbooks can be heavy and cumbersome. Free e-books give students the flexibility to begin classes quickly and take their studies with them wherever they go. And much like the concept of waiving fees discussed above, making e-books free can go a long way toward making students feel positive about their college.
Give credit for military service. One of the most difficult parts of being in the military is gaining valuable experience that doesn’t seem to translate to civilian life. Figuring out how to give credit for military experience can turn a good program into a must-have for military students. Whether it’s engineering, communications, or leadership, different skills can translate into different courses. And of course, the more credit is given, the faster students can finish, helping institutions improve their graduation rate and offering more appeal to military students. Each branch of the military has its own list of preferred providers, and that is primarily where military students are encouraged to pick a college from. Offering credit for military service can help a university become a preferred provider.
These recommendations are primarily for active duty military but many apply to veterans and military families as well. Waiving fees, offering asynchronous classes, accepting military service as class credit and more can help make all members of the military, from active duty to veterans and families, feel accommodated by an institution. Not only that, the public relations benefits of being a military friendly school can be impressive, and in an increasingly crowded marketplace, anything that helps a college stand out is important. What do you think? How can schools make themselves more appealing to military students?
