SEMO was placed in the Top Ten, ranking fourth in Military Friendly School designations. It also ranked among the best in the country as a Military Spouse Friendly School.

 “I am very proud of the excellent work done by our Office of Military and Veterans Services in support of those who serve our country,” said SEMO President Dr. Carlos Vargas. “This recognition speaks to the value we place on supporting our military-affiliated students as they pursue their degree.”

This is the second year that SEMO has ranked in the top category of Military Friendly Top 10 Schools. The awards represent the elite target for military and veteran programs and initiatives in higher education. Schools on the list exemplify support for veterans and their families and continue to improve their programs every year. 

“Our goal is to remain as one of the top schools in the nation that is dedicated to serving our military families as they pursue their academic and personal goals,” said Military and Veterans Service Officer Amanda Woods, from Southeast’s Office of Military and Veteran Services (OMVS). “Our faculty and staff work hard and are committed to helping make Southeast a great place for all military-affiliated students. We are very proud to remain one of the top schools recognized for serving our for military, veteran, and military spouses.”

Schools are evaluated with both public data sources and responses from a survey completed by the University. Survey responses are weighted according to six categories: academic policies and compliance, military student support and retention, graduation and career outcomes, admissions and orientation, culture and commitment, and financial aid and loan repayment. Schools are then placed into one of four categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the elite category of Top 10. Nearly 2,000 schools are surveyed each year.

The 2024-2025 Military Friendly® Schools list and more information on the ranking process is available on the Military Friendly website.  

The Office of Military and Veteran Services at Southeast helps align military-affiliated students with campus resources and refers student veterans to various veterans service organizations in the area, as well as other external organizations that may be able to provide additional support.

The OMVS provides academic and military education benefit/entitlement guidance and processing assistance and also researches and advocates for opportunities to implement veteran-friendly policies, procedures, processes, events and support services. The Office hosts events and workshops for service members, veterans and their dependents. In addition, the OMVS assists with indepth analysis of military transcripts to better align military training and education with academic program requirements, so student veterans advance much more quickly toward the completion of their degree.