TCC is third most ‘veteran friendly’ two-year college in nation

Tidewater Community College has again been recognized by Military Times as a “Best for Vets” institution. It’s the third time in five years the college has been listed among the top 10. The rankings were released today.

TCC ranks third among all two-year colleges, an improvement from 2013, when it was No. 5.

In their fifth year, the Military Times rankings factor in the most comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military students’ success rates.

“We are honored to be named a ‘Best for Vets’ institution for 2015,” said Bruce Brunson, executive director of TCC’s Center for Military and Veterans Education. “It’s our mission to serve military, veterans and their families each and every day. We are committed to providing education and career transition services for those who serve our nation with pride and excellence.”

The only other Virginia community college to be ranked is Southwest Virginia Community College at No. 18.

As with all “Best for Vets” rankings, “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an organization a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families.

The detailed survey requires schools to meticulously document a tremendous array of services, special rules, accommodations and financial incentives offered to military and veteran students and to describe many aspects of veteran culture on a campus.

“We factor in what is, to our knowledge, the most detailed school-by-school data on veteran students’ academic success anywhere, including graduation, retention, persistence and course completion rates,” said Amanda Miller, editor of “Best for Vets.”

The rankings can be found on the Military Times website. They are published in full in the issues of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times on newsstands the week of Nov. 10; in the November issue of Military Times EDGE magazine; and online at MilitaryTimes.com, as well as ArmyTimes.com, NavyTimes.com, AirForceTimes.com and MarineCorpsTimes.com.

TCC also received “veteran-friendly” honors this year from the American Council on Education.