Converse University Earns 2024-2025 Military Friendly® School Designation
Converse University has earned the 2024-2025 Military Friendly® School designation, an honor given to colleges, universities and schools that are doing the most to embrace military students and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation.
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 2024-2025 survey, with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard. Converse was recognized at the Silver level.
“At Converse, we consider it an honor to serve military and veteran students who have given so much to our country,” said President Boone Hopkins. “Our mission is to empower students to become transformative leaders who see clearly, decide wisely, and act justly – and we find great alignment with those who have adopted similar values through military service. We look forward to reaching more military members and veterans to help them find meaningful careers that embrace their commitment to serving others.”
In recent months, Converse has bolstered its services and staffing to support veterans and military members, from assessing credit for prior learning to expanding efforts to support retention, academic success, financial aid, and career counseling. In recognition of this work, Converse recently received more than $1 million in philanthropic funds to revitalize its Converse II program for adult learners and enhance veteran services, thanks to a partnership with Movement 2030.
“At Converse, we consider it an honor to serve military and veteran students who have given so much to our country.”
President Boone Hopkins
“Military Friendly® standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the Military Community,” explained Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly®. “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, going over and above that 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.
“Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard.”
Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly®
Converse also earned the 2024-2025 Military Spouse Friendly® School designation, which sets a standard for higher education institutions to provide the best post-secondary education experiences for spouses of service members. This prestigious list is created using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations to create a comprehensive guide for military spouses looking to further their education. This year 196 schools, including Converse, earned this prestigious designation.
The 2024-2025 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at militaryfriendly.com. For more information about Converse University’s student veteran programs, visit smxjjl.com/veterans.