Military education kudos

Columbia College ranks in top 15 percent of all U.S. schools for military friendliness.

On August 17, G.I. Jobs magazine named Columbia College as one of its top schools for educating military learners. The magazine ranked the college in the top 15 percent of all schools nationwide based on the college's military-friendly policies including credit for military experience, stop-and-go flexibility and availability of online courses.

The Edge, a new Military Times publication, went even further, naming Columbia College No. 14 among U.S. schools as determined by active-duty servicemembers. The ranking is determined by active-duty servicemembers' actual course enrollments. The listing criteria also is slightly different than most such listings, as it also tracks figures from the Coast Guard and Army National Guard.

Columbia College also has been recognized as a "gold standard" leader in military-friendly education by Military Advanced Education.

Columbia College has more than 1,300 veterans enrolled throughout its nationwide system of campuses, which includes facilities on 18 military bases including one in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The college gives servicemembers academic credit for military training and education, meaning servicemembers enter Columbia College with a jump start on their degree.

And the Yellow Ribbon Program, a matching servicemembers' tuition program of the new GI Bill, went into effect August 1, 2009, just in time for fall enrollment. Servicemembers with 36 months of service who were on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001 are eligible for the program, which essentially pays complete tuition. Eligible servicemembers in Missouri also are eligible for a housing stipend of $880 per month and a $1,000 book stipend.

The Montgomery GI Bill reimbursed veterans for only a portion of tuition costs at private schools. Under the Yellow Ribbon Program of the new bill, tuition at private schools such as Columbia College is covered to a threshold of 50 percent of the highest public in-state tuition. For the state of Missouri, tuition rates are based on those of the University of Missouri. Columbia College has partnered with the VA to split the remaining tuition costs.

Tery Donelson, assistant vice president for enrollment management at Columbia College, called the program the most comprehensive education benefit offered to servicemembers since World War II. "Historically, when a new GI Bill goes into effect, the number of veterans enrolling in college increases," Donelson said, adding that he expects to see an enrollment spike. “The bottom line is, a qualifying veteran is not going to have to pay any tuition or fees to go to Columbia College,” Donelson said.



Columbia College has more than 1,300 veterans enrolled throughout its nationwide system of campuses, which includes facilities on 18 military bases including one in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The college gives servicemembers academic credit for military training and education, meaning servicemembers enter Columbia College with a jump start on their degree.