KCC receives designation as a Military Friendly® School for 2023
Kankakee Community College is one of 28 small community colleges across the nation with a gold ranking in the 2023 Guide to Military Friendly® Schools, published in conjunction with “G.I. Jobs” magazine. Typically, KCC has about 60 veterans who enroll each year, according to the college’s Office of Financial Aid. Among veterans, there are 35 KCC student veterans currently utilizing VA Education benefits.
“KCC is very proud to be designated as a Military Friendly® School,” said Kendra Souligne, director of financial aid & student engagement. “We are genuinely committed to assisting those who served or are currently serving in the U.S. military and their family members as they transition into the college setting. Our main goal is to guide them in utilizing their federal and state VA educational benefits and financial aid, all while supporting their personal, professional, and academic goals”
Throughout Illinois, there are only 14 community colleges which achieved a Military Friendly® designation this year.
According to militaryfriendly.com, “The data we evaluate to determine Military Friendly® designations and awards are sourced from three categories, which we call the three Ps: Public data sources, Proprietary data from our survey and Personal data from surveys of veterans themselves. Our Military Friendly Advisory Council then gives guidance including diverse perspective on methodology. Data is then pushed through a pre-determined algorithm as per our methodology. Results are audited by EY (Ernst & Young).” Measurements included “ability to meet thresholds for retention, graduation, job placement, repayment, persistence, and loan default rates for all students and specifically, for student veterans,” according to the site.
The 2023-24 Military Friendly® Schools list is published in the May 2023 issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com/schoo
“Military Friendly® Schools strive towards and succeed in the areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, satisfying careers in the civilian world,” according to militaryfriendly.com.
More information about KCC’s educational benefits for military veterans, spouses and dependents, is at kcc.edu/veterans<mailto:kcc.ed