CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — For the fifth year in a row, the University of Northern Iowa has earned the 2024-2025 Military Friendly ® School designation. UNI maintained its Gold Status, and once again earned the rank of Military Spouse Friendly School.

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. 

For students like Caroline Linde, whose husband Michael was in the Marine Corps, many of the challenges that come with being a military-affiliated learner are unique to adult learners who have not been in school for many years. Because Linde and her husband moved around so much for the military, she was not able to continue her education and pursue her master’s degree until later in life after she had started a family. Navigating finding childcare while being a full-time student with a graduate assistantship has been especially challenging.

The people at UNI, especially Henry Korf who is the Military & Veteran Student Services coordinator, have provided support in the midst of this challenge.

“Henry has checked in on us and asked if there is anything he can do,” she said. “He’s always said if there’s anything we need to please reach out. He's been very good at trying to help in any way he can.”

Linde added that the smaller size of UNI’s campus can also be beneficial for military-affiliated learners.

“I would say whether it be for your ID, your housing or financial aid, if you ask for help, people will be very kind and will help, whereas that's not always the case at the bigger schools,” she said. 

“UNI is all about meeting the individual needs of students. Our veteran and military-affiliated students are certainly no exception,” said Korf. “We want to see them succeed. Whether a student is a veteran or they’re the spouse of a service member, they will be supported and valued at UNI.”

“We are here to welcome our veterans with open arms,” said Chiquita Loveless, assistant dean of students-family and military programming at UNI. “I have walked in their shoes, and it is a totally different world after leaving active duty and having to make solid choices about life. Henry and I are here to help make the transition for our veterans, spouses and dependents as smooth as possible as well as help them to become productive citizens."

The University of Northern Iowa supports veterans, active service members and their families in numerous ways. One crucial component is a policy following the American Council on Education’s military guidelines. These guidelines allow service members to earn college-level credits for courses and experiences they have taken in their branch of service, saving them time and money while earning their degrees and allowing them to re-enter the workforce faster. UNI offers four-year degrees to all qualified military and veteran learners at the cost of in-state tuition. Numerous scholarships are also available for active military and veteran learners as well as their spouses.

The culture of military friendliness is enhanced through hosting special orientations for military transferring and inbound students as well as holding a graduation celebration at the end of each semester for military and veteran learners. Military-affiliated learners are always recognized at Commencement. 

The University of Northern Iowa also shows its support for military-affiliated learners by hosting events such as the annual Suicide Prevention and PTSD Awareness Conference, which educates on mental health concerns and provides helpful resources. Additionally, Military & Veteran Student Services provides Green Zone Training, which seeks to inform faculty and staff on the experience of military-affiliated learners and how to support the success of these students.

For more information about Military & Veteran Student Services at UNI, visit military.uni.edu.