BGSU remains the No. 1 university in the Midwest for veterans and military students, according to latest Military Times rankings

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University remains the No. 1 university in the Midwest for its comprehensive services, support and commitment to the success of veterans and active military students, according to Military Times' Best for Vets: College 2023 rankings.

The University has been recognized as a top academic choice consecutively since 2013 by the annual Best for Vets rankings, which named BGSU as the best in the Midwest for three consecutive years.

BGSU ranks No. 11 nationally in the largest and most comprehensive ranking of military-friendly institutions.

“Bowling Green State University is honored to be consistently ranked among the best universities in the nation for veterans and active military students by the Military Times,” BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers said. “As a public university for the public good, we are committed to educating, supporting and serving our veterans and active members of the U.S. Armed Forces to ensure they are successful in college and beyond.”

Rankings are based on the results of a comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement, according to the Military Times.

"Supporting veterans and active military students from the moment they enroll through graduation is ingrained in the BGSU culture,” said Dr. Barbara Henry, assistant vice president of BGSU Nontraditional and Military Student Services (NTMSS). “Our comprehensive, personalized approach to ensuring they succeed makes BGSU one of the best universities for military students.”

Military Times compiles an annual survey of colleges and universities across the nation to document services, accommodations and financial incentives offered to students with military ties and to describe veteran culture on a campus.

Henry said the personalized, student-centered approach, which includes tutoring and a dedicated student veteran center where students can build a supportive community, distinguishes the University’s commitment to supporting military students.

“Helping our veterans and active military students achieve their educational goals is paramount to our mission as a public university for the public good,” Henry said. “Students are at the center of everything we do, and we’re proud to be consistently recognized for those efforts.”

Recent BGSU alumnus and U.S. Army veteran Jason Kaylor ‘23 said the NTMSS offices offered him a crucial network of resources and support as he pursued his bachelor’s degree in education.

“I don’t think I would be where I am without that office,” Kaylor said in 2022. “It gets me choked up talking about it. I would go to that office every day from sun up to sun down during those first few semesters. It’s been very important to my success.”

The Best for Vets rankings are considered the most comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military student services and their rates of academic achievement.

The editorially independent project evaluates factors that make colleges and universities a good fit for active service members, veterans and their families.