Maryville University announced today that it has earned the 2025-2026 Military Friendly® School designation, demonstrating its commitment to helping active duty service members, veterans, reservists, guardsmen, and dependents complete their higher education journeys.
Maryville, one of two higher education institutions in the St. Louis region to earn the military-friendly designation, fosters a learning environment that prioritizes opportunity and access for all. This includes flexibility and support that is uniquely beneficial to military-affiliated students, including veterans who are transitioning back into civilian life and active-duty service members pursuing an education during their deployments. There are currently over 500 military-affiliated students attending Maryville University.
“At Maryville, we believe in removing barriers to education and creating pathways to success for every student — especially those who have served our country,” said Dr. Dan Shipp, President of Maryville University. “Earning the Military Friendly designation reaffirms our deep commitment to honoring and supporting military-affiliated students with the respect, resources, and opportunities they deserve.”
Maryville takes a holistic approach to supporting the success and well-being of military-affiliated students including: personalized advising, an accessible registration process, flexible course offerings, and a dedicated online community where student veterans, service members, and dependents can connect and collaborate.
“Veterans and active-duty service members bring a unique perspective to the classroom that enriches the learning experience for all our students,” said Andrew Gates, Maryville University Veterans Services Specialist and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. “We’re very proud to earn this honor and it’s a direct reflection of the hard work we do to provide a student-centered approach for all our veterans, service members, and dependents on campus.”
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 2025-2026 survey with 830 earning special awards for going above the standard.
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,” said Kayla Lopez, Vice President, Military Friendly®. “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 Institutions to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, exceeding the standard.”
For more information about Maryville University’s student veteran programs, visit: https://www.maryville.edu/admissions/veterans/.
About Maryville University
Founded in 1872, Maryville University is a comprehensive and nationally ranked private institution with an enrollment of well over 9,000 students. Maryville offers over 90 degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, as well as several certificates that align with the undergraduate and graduate education levels. Maryville is recognized as the third fastest-growing private university in the United States by The Chronicle of Higher Education, serving students from 50 states and 56 countries. More than 50,000 Maryville alumni globally, many of whom work and live in the St. Louis region.
About Military Friendly® Schools:
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 www.militaryfriendly.com.