Fresno State received the Military Friendly School designation for the 2024-25 academic year. In May, the university received a silver rank in the category for large public institutions, meaning the university scored within the 28th to 40th percentile in comparison to other large public institutions.

There are currently 775 veteran students enrolled on campus. All veteran students are eligible to use the university’s Veterans Resource Center.

The Veterans Resource Center assists veterans, including reservists, National Guard, and active-duty service members and their dependents, in making full use of their educational benefits while in pursuit of their degree. The center offers advising services, assistance in applying for VA benefits, priority course registration, referrals to other campus services, and more.

“As a campus, we are committed to supporting our student veterans and continuing to assess and evaluate our programs and services to seek improvement,” said Dr. Kent Willis, vice president for the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Fresno State. “Our campus president, Dr. Saul Jimenez-Sandoval, has a vision to expand access and affordability as part of our value proposition.”

According to the website Military Friendly, higher education institutions receiving a Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using public data as well as responses from a proprietary survey. Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by the website Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community.

“I’d like to acknowledge the outstanding work of our student affairs professionals, particularly Robyn Gutierrez, leader of our Veterans Resource Center, whose tireless advocacy for student success is truly commendable,” Willis said.

Survey Results Combined with Assessment

Final Military Friendly School ratings and designations 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, degree advancement or transfer, and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-25 survey with 537 earning special awards. The full list of Military Friendly Schools can be found in G.I. Jobs magazine.

For more information or opportunities to support the effort of the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, contact vpsa@mail.fresnostate.edu.