AUGUSTA – The University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) has been recognized by two national organizations for its exceptional service to veterans, military service members, and their families. UMA has earned the 2020-2021 Military Friendly® School designation and was also named 2020 Best for Vets by Military Times.

“UMA is honored to receive these designations,” stated UMA President Rebecca Wyke. “This reflects the dedication of the faculty and staff of UMA to be a welcoming community for our military service members and veterans,” Wyke continued. “UMA’s Veterans Academic Center continues to grow and is one of the major student hubs on the Augusta campus.”

“We are very pleased with the longstanding and continuing recognition by Military Friendly School and Military Times to UMA’s commitment in supporting our military service members and veterans, and their families,” said Amy Line, UMA Director of Military and Veterans’ Services. “Support and assistance for service members begin on their first day on campus right through to graduation.”

Institutions earning the Military Friendly^® School designation are evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. Methodology, criteria, and weightings are 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.

More than 1,000 schools participated in the 2020-2021 survey with 695 earning the designation. The 2020-2021 Military Friendly® School list will be published in the May 2020 edition of G.I. Jobs magazine.

For the Military Times Best for Vets ranking, institutions were evaluated in five categories: university culture, student support, academic policies, academic outcomes/quality, and cost and financial aid. A full description of the methodology is available here.

Additional information:

UMA Office of Military and Veterans’ Services

UMA has a rich tradition of supporting military and veteran students and has been “changing lives since 1965”. UMA’s commitment to educating and providing opportunities to our veterans, service members and families. A Veterans Academic Center on UMA’s Augusta Campus and a newly refurbished Veterans Lounge on the UMA Bangor Campus provides students and staff with dedicated spaces to study before or after class, as well as seek support from fellow veterans.

Founded in 2001, VIQTORY is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs^® and Military Friendly^® brands.  VIQTORY and its brands are not a part of or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or any federal government entity.

MilitaryTimes.com is a part of the Sightline Media Group, formerly known as the Army Times Publishing Company, which first published Army Times in 1940. Throughout its history, the company has a strong heritage and tradition of meeting the highest standards of independent journalism and has expanded with publications serving all branches of the U.S. military, the global defense community, the U.S. federal government, and several special interest defense-oriented industry sectors.