UNG ranks third in Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online Colleges

Once again, University of North Georgia (UNG) has been recognized for being military friendly.

SR Education Group, an online education research publisher, ranked UNG as No. 3 in its Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online Colleges. It also listed UNG among its Top Military-Friendly Online Colleges.

Christy Orr, assistant director of Student Life and Veteran and Adult Learner programs, was pleased with the recent announcement. She credited UNG Online and eCore for the recognition.

"With the University System of Georgia’s (USG) eCore program, military students can complete the first two years of college core curriculum classes online," Orr said. "With UNG Online, UNG is able to offer third and fourth year classes to allow students to partially or fully complete their degree online. Having these two programs truly benefits our military students who have jobs, families or are on active duty."

UNG Online are classes designed by UNG faculty with the support of the university’s Distance Education and Technology Integration (DETI) staff. The classes are taught by UNG faculty. eCore is USG's fully online core curriculum, which UNG and other USG institutions partner.

To be eligible for recognition as a military-friendly online college, schools were required to offer at least 10 fully online degrees. All accredited schools meeting this requirement were evaluated based on four key factors for military support in online education: military culture, online support, financial aid, and flexibility.

Stephanie Hulsey, online student success coordinator with DETI and eCore liaison at UNG, explained online courses allow military students to obtain a degree necessary for promotion and utilizes their down time when they are deployed or on assignment.

"The online format gives them great flexibility and gives spouses an opportunity to pursue their studies regardless of location," she said. "Earning a degree prepares military students to be successful in civilian life and gives them a desired credential when seeking employment after their service."

More than 500 schools were considered for the list, with 60 making the final cut. Each school on the list earned a military-friendly score of at least 65 points out of a possible 100. University of Maryland University College tops the list with a score of 95.07. University of North Georgia earned 76.93.

Twenty-five of the schools were highlighted for being the most affordable military-friendly online schools for 2018. In addition to their low annual tuition rates, the schools participate in the Tuition Assistance Program and have high military scores, which were determined using a number of factors including the strength of military culture, prevalence of support services to online students, flexibility, and military-specific financial aid.

Western Governors University ranked No. 1 by offering an affordable tuition rate of $6,380. UNG was ranked No. 3 with its annual tuition of $7,350. In the No. 2 spot was Columbia Southern University.

"As one of the six senior military colleges in the U.S., UNG understands the needs of our military learners," Hulsey said. "We offer a variety of online course options at all levels and at an affordable price. We help students maximize their military benefits with affordability of courses and dedicated staff to guide them along the way."

Executive Officer LTC Mark Legaspi said the Department of Military Science at UNG provides a structured curriculum centered on leadership. Courses conform to the subject requirements of the Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Department of the Army. 

"The objectives of the ROTC program are to attract, motivate and prepare selected students with high potential to serves as commissioned officers in the active Army, or the U.S. Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard," he said. "For cadets with unique academic situations, we provide opportunities for them to maintain the Corps of Cadets program participation with continuous military science instruction during their study abroad academics and internships."