Moraine Valley Community College was recently recognized as a 2025-2026 Military Friendly® School, receiving the Military Friendly® Gold designation and the Military Friendly® Spouse School designation.
This year, more than 1,800 schools participated in the Military Friendly® survey, and 830 earned special awards for surpassing the standard for the baseline designation.
The survey’s 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 are determined by combining each 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. Gold institutions represent overall survey scores that fall above 41% and have five or more qualifying benchmarks.
Cesar Ceron, veteran services coordinator at Moraine Valley, shared that the Military Friendly® application is robust, but he was eager to apply for the distinction. “The process includes a detailed survey and a comprehensive data analysis, using self-reported information and public data from the Department of Education, Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense.”
According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics released in 2020, over a million military undergraduate students transition from their military service to higher education, and approximately two-thirds of these students are enrolled at a public two-year institution.
Ceron, also a veteran, explained the importance of the recognition to military students and their spouses, “This is a well-regarded and competitive distinction within higher education. It signals to prospective student veterans that Moraine Valley is committed to providing quality support and resources tailored to their unique needs. For our programs, it reinforces the work we’re doing to create a veteran-inclusive campus and strengthens our reputation among military-connected students and the wider community.”
Learn more about the designation at www.militaryfriendly.com.
For more information about Moraine Valley’s student veteran services, visit morainevalley.edu/student-success/support-services/veterans-services.
