Daytona State earns prestigious Military Friendly School designation

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 23, 2014) - Daytona State College has joined an elite list of colleges and universities that have been designated as Military Friendly Schools by the veteran-owned company, Victory Media.

The list honors colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's service members and veterans as students.

"The entire college community is proud to be recognized for the special efforts we make to provide our veteran students with the help and support they need to be successful in college and beyond," said President Carol W. Eaton. "It affirms our commitment to provide our veteran students a positive college experience as they take on new challenges and pursue new opportunities in their lives."

Victory Media calls its list America's most stringent and transparent inventory of schools catering to veterans, grading the institutions on nine criteria, including military support on campus, academic credibility and the portion of military students enrolled. Those criteria are assessed through a survey the company makes available to all of the nation's 12,000 VA-approved colleges, of which 15 to 20 percent earn the military friendly designation.

More than 1,300 veterans attended Daytona State last year. With a Veterans Center on the Daytona Beach Campus and staff veteran liaisons on the college's regional campuses, servicemen and women can receive assistance with everything from filing for GI Bill benefits and other student services to receiving referrals for further academic and personal assistance both inside and outside the college.

The college also has adopted a policy authorizing that credit can be granted to students with military training, experience or coursework that is recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE). Depending on the type of prior learning experience, credits can be applied toward a veteran student's general education requirements or counted as elective credit. The policy was the result of a bill passed last year by the Florida Legislature outlining the process by which all Florida College System institutions award academic credit to eligible members of the United States Armed Forces.

Daytona State veteran students also enjoy:

• Priority registration
• Fee waivers for Purple Heart or other superior combat decoration recipients
• Veteran-specific new-student orientations
• In-state tuition, whether or not they are Florida residents
• Free writing and mathematics tutoring in the Veterans Center

• Eligibility to join the Falcon Veterans Society student club

For more information about veterans services provided by Daytona State, call (386) 506-3545 or (386) 506-3065.

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