UWM has earned two top Military Friendly School designations for 2023-2024.
The university earned gold status for its efforts to educate and foster welcoming environments for students currently or formerly in the military. And it earned top 10 status for being welcoming and supporting for military spouses, ranking No. 6 in the country.
Yolanda Medina, director of the Military and Veterans Resource Center at UWM, was especially pleased to see the university rise in the military spouse ranking.
“We in MAVRC use the Military Friendly Survey as a test of the health of our office, and we noticed a lack of support in the Military Spouse categories,” Medina said. “We have worked hard to create programming and services specific to military dependents and are thrilled that our ranking increased so dramatically.”
More than 1,850 schools participated in the 2023-2024 survey, with 530 schools earning awards level designations in Gold, Silver and Bronze. Just 250 were selected for gold status for their leading practices, outcomes and effective programs.
The rankings are compiled by VIQTORY, a company that produces G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse magazines. Military Friendly schools “strive towards and succeed in the areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, satisfying careers in the civilian world,” the organization says.
UWM serves more veteran and active-duty students than any other UW System school, with almost 1,100 enrolled at its three campuses during the 2022-23 school year.
The university provides a full slate of resources for its military students, including the Military and Veterans Resources Center, a military education benefits office, the Veterans Success on Campus program, Veterans Upward Bound and Army ROTC.
