Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—As Veteran’s Day approaches Nov. 11, Mississippi State University is again listed among the best colleges for military veterans, coming in at No. 31 in the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2017 rankings.

MSU is listed in the four-year college category of the rankings and moved up 13 spots from its place at No. 44 in the 2016 rankings. The Best for Vets rankings is an editorially independent news project that evaluates many factors that help make colleges and universities a good fit for service members and their families. MSU is among 500 colleges that took part in the 2017 survey.

“We limit our list to encourage competition, and we genuinely hope this helps raise the bar for veterans on campus,” said Amanda Miller, editor of Best for Vets. Only 130 four-year colleges received recognition.

Coordinated by the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans, MSU has substantial services and support available to veterans and their dependents. In September, the university dedicated Nusz Hall, a new facility that houses the Center for America’s Veterans.

The Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at Nusz Hall features student support spaces, a computer lab, study rooms, a meeting area and administrative offices, which serve the veteran community at MSU. Approximately 775 veterans and service members are students at MSU. Including dependents, the veteran community comprises more than 2,300 students on campus.

In 2015, the Military Order of the Purple Heart designated MSU as a “Purple Heart University” for its outstanding service to military veterans, service members, dependents and survivors.

On Saturday [Nov. 5], MSU will hold its annual salute to veterans at the MSU-Texas A&M football game. MSU will wear special uniforms to honor those who serve and have served in the military. The Famous Maroon Band will recognize each branch of the military during its halftime performance.

Military Times’ annual Best for Vets: Colleges survey asks colleges and universities to meticulously document a tremendous array of services, special rules, accommodations and financial incentives offered to students with military ties; and to describe many aspects of veteran culture on a campus. These institutions were evaluated in several categories, with university culture and academic outcomes bearing the most weight.

Military Times also factors in data from the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments, as well as three Education Department sources: the IPEDS Data Center, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database.

The full Best for Vets rankings can be found at www.militarytimes.com/bestforvets-colleges2017.

For more on MSU’s services available to veterans, visit www.veterans.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.