Wright State named a Best for Vets College

Wright State University has been named to the 2025 Best for Vets: Colleges list by the Military Times, recognizing the university’s longstanding commitment to supporting military service members, veterans and their families.

This year’s list includes 357 institutions, the largest in the program’s history. Institutions were evaluated on academic quality, student support services, affordability and veterans’ outcomes, including graduation and retention rates.

Wright State serves approximately 850 military-connected students each semester, including active-duty service members, veterans, reservists and dependents.

Seth Gordon, Ph.D., director of Wright State’s Veteran and Military Center, said the Best for Vets recognition reflects the consistent dedication of faculty and staff.

“Continuing to be ranked speaks to the consistent and hard work of those at Wright State who support our military-connected students and the surrounding community that is always looking for ways to connect to each other,” Gordon said.

The Veteran and Military Center (VMC) is a national model for how universities can support military-connected students. The center provides guidance on using military education benefits, including VA programs, federal Tuition Assistance and state support, while also offering transition support, career-readiness resources and a welcoming community space.

Wright State has continued to broaden its support for military-connected students.

The university offers financial assistance through scholarships, including the Active Duty Military Undergraduate Scholarship — which pays for tuition costs for tuition assistance-approved courses not covered by Military Tuition Assistance — and the WPAFB Graduate School Scholarship — which is available to base employees, reservists and their family members.

The VMC also encourages military-connected students to take on leadership roles through service projects and campus initiatives.

A former Marine serving as the center’s wellness military community advocate is leading a Toys for Tots drive, while an ROTC reservist helped launch the inaugural Bring a Faculty Member to Lunch event. Other students, including Marine Corps veteran and transfer student Javier Rivera, are strengthening engagement with the Dayton-Wright chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, opening doors to networking and career development opportunities in the defense industry.

The Military Community Advocates program helps military-connected students build community, strengthen leadership skills and prepare for post-college careers, while the Veteran Student Champion program trains faculty, staff, and students to better support military-connected learners.

“Our goal is to meet the needs of military-connected students and ensure they feel supported,” Gordon said. “The VMC creates an environment of trust and connectedness for our students. We want to be genuinely military friendly in both designation and practice.”

Wright State also provides a range of services to military-affiliated students, including:

• Flexible scheduling and online learning options
• Credit for prior military training and experience
• Priority registration
• A robust support network of peers and staff

The university also offers pathways for students seeking commissions through the Army ROTC Raider Battalion and Air Force ROTC Detachment 643.

The Best for Vets honor adds to a growing list of recognitions. Earlier this year, the Ohio Department of Higher Education named Wright State a Collegiate Purple Star campus, and the VMC received an Excellence in Programming for Military-Connected Students Award from the National Veterans Leadership Foundation.

Learn more

For more information about resources for military-connected students at Wright State:
Contact: Veteran and Military Center, 937-775-5550 or vmc@wright.edu
Visit: wright.edu/VMC