WKU News

WKU has been named a Gold Military Friendly® School by Victory Media for the first time, increasing its ranking by three levels. Only 162 schools were selected as a Gold institution. WKU has proudly been named Military Friendly® School for the past 13 years and has been listed in the field’s most comprehensive database for career training, education, and family resources. 

Each year, the WKU Military Student Services office completes a propriety survey which measures student success and assesses WKU’s military friendly programs and policies. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation are then evaluated using both public data sources and responses from the Victoria Media survey. Once compiled, the information is vetted and compared to other similar programs across the nation. WKU has achieved this classification consecutively since 2009.

Director of Military Student Services, Kent Johnson, offered his thoughts on the award and what makes WKU a military friendly institution. “Our military connected students often face a unique set of circumstances and challenges, such as being stationed all over the world, and we ensure that there is a support system in place for these students. One important aspect of this support system is that it runs throughout key components of the university, from administration, to support staff and advisors, and extends to the faculty in our classrooms, both in person and online. We have dedicated staff who understand the unique circumstances our military affiliated students are in and who offer personalized support to them. This allows the students to see that WKU understands them, values them, and is willing to do whatever we can to set them up for success. This personalized and purposeful support runs through their entire student life experience. It begins from the point of inquiry, follows them through their academic journey and extends beyond graduation. To support them in post-graduation, we work on building and maintaining networks and processes to improve student success in gaining employment and career development after graduation. Our students know that we are always available to them.”

The Military Student Services strives to support military connected students and help them succeed at WKU. Johnson says, “From policies adopted by the institution to make us military ready, to the processes and people put in place to assist the students with using their education benefits and navigating unique circumstances like military activations, to the faculty who provide top notch applied learning experiences. We truly appreciate our military connected students and value the unique experiences that they have had, which when brought to the university adds quality, depth, and unique real-world experiences to coursework and the class experience. Our military students are a diverse population and bring with them that diversity of lived experiences that adds quality to the WKU experience. We value them and want to do what we can do serve those who serve, as well as our military connected students who are family member of someone serving. They are all a part of our military connected family at WKU. Wherever they are in the world, or are at in the academic journey, we strive to meet them where they are and help them get to where they need to be. We always stand ready and willing to assist them in anything they need.” 

WKU Military Student Services also provides help through the Textbook for Troops program, which helps military-connected students receive necessary textbooks for their degree program for free. They also assist with federal tuition assistance requests and maintain a Veteran Resource Center. 

WKU also offers unique services to its military students; a discounted tuition rate of $250 per credit hour to all active duty, reserve, and National Guard members. This offering is also available for graduate student use.

Read more about WKU’s veteran services, including how you can help support these students, at wku.edu/veterans.