Despite generous financial aid, military veterans have high rates of undermatch and generally poor postsecondary outcomes. We conducted a large-scale, multi-arm field experiment with the U.S. Army to investigate whether personalized information about postsecondary options and access to advising affects service members' postsecondary choices and…

Veterans' educational assistance programs provide benefits or services to eligible service members and veterans and their family members, as applicable, to help such individuals pursue education or training. The GI Bills provide financial assistance while recipients are enrolled in approved education or training programs. Eligibility is based on a…

The mediation effect of posttraumatic perception between self-esteem and PTSD severity among college student veterans (N = 64) were investigated. The results of the investigation indicated a significant relationship between self-esteem and PTSD severity. The total effect between self-esteem and PTSD severity showed a statistically significant…

Background: Existing outdoor programs which market to veterans are likely to help veterans to get outdoors and to connect with one another. However, these programs appear to market to mostly White, male populations even though many veterans are female and racially diverse. Purpose: In order to consider barriers to outdoor program engagement for…

This qualitative phenomenological study employs a phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of veterans returning to higher education. It aims to explore and understand the experiences and difficulties faced by veterans as they reintegrate into college education. Thematic analysis is used to analyze qualitative data,…

The transitional experience from the military into higher education can pose unique challenges to student veterans, especially for those who seek to obtain professional licensure in nursing. This action research study sought to identify and understand these challenges. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 were student veterans entering…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how ten student veterans persist after entering private, 4-year institutions of higher education during or following their military service. The study's conceptual framework, drawing from Vacchi's Model of Student Veteran Support (2011, 2013), employs a narrative approach to spotlight the…

Military experience alone is no longer enough to replace a college degree for many civilian jobs, leaving nearly 15% of transitioning veterans at a disadvantage without higher education credentials. This study explored how active-duty Marines decide whether to pursue postsecondary education and assessed the role of the voluntary education (VolED)…

This dissertation study uses Schlossberg's Transition Theory to understand the experiences of student veterans enrolled at a Louisiana higher education institution. By recognizing the distinct needs of student veterans and the services offered, higher education administrators can play a pivotal role in informing them of their needs and creating a…

Student veterans are a unique population on college/university campuses who may face numerous obstacles associated with transitioning from service member to student. One of the most daunting challenges these student veterans face occurs when they earn a grade for Failure for Nonattendance (FA). The GI Bill ®/Post 9/11 benefits that student…

This study examined how veteran social engagement predicted post-secondary school attainment. Nearly 10,000 post-9/11 veterans, who separated from military service in 2016, were surveyed on the programs/services they used over 4 years following separation. More than half of veterans had obtained a degree within 4 years of separation. A higher…

Congress determined that because military service in Iraq and Afghanistan following September 11, 2001, was particularly challenging, servicemembers from that era deserved a veterans educational assistance program more robust than those otherwise available at the time. The Post-9/11 GI Bill was designed to provide more generous benefits than the…

The purpose of this dissertation study was to examine the psychosocial impact of assistive technology (AT) on veterans with disabilities in higher education. A current problem is that there is a research and knowledge gap in the AT needs of student veterans with disabilities living in South Texas, as well as in the psychosocial impact that AT for…

Objective: To describe how veterans feel about disclosing their military status on campus and impacts on engagement with social and health-related services. Participants: Thirty-one university student veterans who participated in a student veterans' health study. Participants self-identified as White and male (90%) with an average age of 29.5…

Since the signing of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008, veteran enrollment in college has increased to numbers not seen since the end of World War II. This most recent iteration of the GI Bill provides education benefits for thirty-six months at a great cost to the taxpayers. Student veterans are a unique class of non-traditional students due to their…