NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University has earned the 2022-2023 Military Friendly® School designation. This is the 12th time Northwestern State has received the honor.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard. NSU was rated as a silver institution.

The 2022-2023 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at militaryfriendly.com.

Northwestern State serves the nation’s military by offering in-person classes on its Leesville-Fort Polk campus, at Barksdale Air Force Base and online at nsula.edu/ensu.

“Northwestern State University has been recognized as a military friendly university for more than a decade. With service centers located on the bases of Barksdale and Ft. Polk, NSU is a clear choice for military service members and their dependents,” said Vice President for Technology, Innovation and Economic Development Dr. Darlene Williams. “Our goal is to provide flexible academic programs and support services that create a clear path to degree completion for our military.”

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

“Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process. Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the Military Community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard,” said Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly®.

The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources from more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. The survey is administered for free and is open to all postsecondary schools that wish to participate.

Criteria for consideration can be found at militaryfriendly.com.

For more information on Northwestern State’s resources for the military, go to nsula.edu/military.