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,…

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)…

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…

Objective: To examine the role of grit as a mediator of the relationship between student-veteran status and not seeking mental health help. Participants: A diverse and nationally representative sample of students (8,203 women, 4,934 men) from 18 U.S. colleges and universities included in the Understanding Student Distress and Academic Success…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how female veterans who have successfully graduated from a higher education institution describe the challenges encountered and the factors which helped them complete their college degrees across the United States. For this study, the theoretical framework was Schlossberg's adult…

Women are the fastest growing population of veterans in the United States. When asked why they joined the military, women have overwhelming indicated they were seeking educational benefits; as such, the number of women veterans attending higher education has risen. While women veterans face many challenges, including physical and mental health…

Objective: To explore barriers and facilitators to mental health care among the student service member and veteran (SSM/V) population, develop an integrative model of mental health service use, and identify health communication opportunities. Participants: Participants were 21 current and former SSM/Vs recruited online and via snowball sampling.…

Higher education in the United States is currently grappling with two significant challenges that threaten its sustainability: the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a decline in enrollments, and the 2023 Supreme Court decision to prohibit affirmative action in college admissions. This essay explores how these challenges…

This report examines: (1) the extent to which veterans pursue STEM degrees using Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits; (2) challenges these veterans face in obtaining a STEM degree; and (3) how VA administers the Rogers STEM scholarship. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed VA administrative data and interviewed officials…

Most military veterans who reside in a central U.S. city have not entirely used their Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB) education benefits to advance their careers. But there is limited research on veterans' views of the effect of certain barriers on academic persistence. This study addressed this lack of information on barriers preventing military…

Within a decade following World War II, more than two million veterans attended college through the use of the GI Bill, with an additional almost 5.5 million taking advantage of vocational training (Mettler, 2005). Now, over fifty years later, "Only one in ten veterans using GI Bill benefits enrolls in institutions with graduation rates above…

Many studies on higher education access have focused on challenges faced by the civilian population. Indeed, there are many obstacles that people face when seeking to enter certificate- and degree-granting programs, including affordability, inequitable admission standards, and family and work demands on their time. Veterans, however, have access…

Most military veterans who reside in a central U.S. city have not entirely used their Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB) education benefits to advance their careers. There is limited research on veterans' views of the effect of certain barriers, identified from prior research, on academic persistence. The problem of the lack of specific information about…

On average, 22% of military veterans enroll in higher education versus 12% of civilians (Zhang, 2017). Furthermore, approximately 36% more undergraduate student veterans reported having a disability when compared to undergraduate civilians (de Brey et al., 2021). Some of the barriers that student veterans with disabilities may experience in higher…