OUR RESEARCH & REPORTS
Our published reports regarding college quality and student outcomes.
Postsecondary Outcomes for Undergraduate Veterans of Color
As America grapples with systemic racial injustice, it is more important than ever to examine the outcomes of veterans of color who are using the GI Bill to earn a postsecondary credential. In a 2011 [...]
Veterans’ Use of Private Student Loans: A Primer
Click here to download a PDF copy of the report. Highlights Based on our analysis of ED survey data from academic year 2007-08 to 2015-16: The proportion of undergraduate student veterans at for-profit schools taking [...]
Impact of Disability on First-Time Student Veterans’ Persistence and Attainment
Click here to download a PDF copy of this Issue Brief Highlights Among undergraduate veterans who enrolled in postsecondary education for the first time in 2011-12, 33% reported a disability, compared to 15% of non-veterans [...]
Annual and Cumulative Student Loan Debt Among Veterans Using and Not Using GI Bill Benefits
This Fact Sheet examines student loan borrowing in academic year 2015-16, comparing undergraduate veterans who received any GI Bill educational benefits (beneficiaries) to those who did not (nonbeneficiaries). In addition to their borrowing during that [...]
Weak Return on Investment at Trade Schools that Enroll GI Bill Beneficiaries
Highlights We found that student outcome data at Title IV- participating trade schools that enroll GI Bill beneficiaries in certificate programs showed a disappointing return-on-investment but robust retention and graduation rates (see table 1). For [...]
Should Colleges Spend the GI Bill on Veterans’ Education or Late Night TV Ads? And Which Colleges Offer the Best Instructional Bang for the GI Bill Buck?
Every year, around 700,000 Post-9/11 GI Bill students enroll in an institution of postsecondary education, a benefit earned through sacrifice and service to our nation. The GI Bill represents America’s thanks for veterans’ military [...]
Veteran Student Loan Debt 7 Years After Implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill
In May 2018, we reported on trends in veteran student loan debt from just before the 2009 implementation of the more generous Post-9/11 GI Bill (2007-08) to 3 years after the new benefit became available [...]
Career Education Colleges and Universities: Outcomes at Selected Member Schools
After a brief history of CECU, this report provides “key takeaways” from our analysis of both descriptive and outcome data for the 26 CECU-member schools. The report concludes with a discussion of some of the [...]
Postsecondary Non-Completion Among Veterans: Contributing Factors and Implications
This paper uses Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS), a longitudinal survey conducted by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to examine factors contributing to and the impact of non-completion for “first-time” student [...]
Student Outcomes at Colleges Approved by the Accreditor ACICS
Veterans Education Success analyzed the most recent U.S. Department of Education (Department) data to determine student outcomes at the approximately 100 schools still accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). ACICS [...]
Veteran Student Loan Debt Before and After the Post-9/11 GI Bill
A major goal of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which modernized veterans’ educational benefits, was to provide veterans with the opportunity of a debt-free, postsecondary education—or, at a minimum, to mitigate their student loan debt. The [...]
Despite a 2016 Statute, the GI Bill Still Pays for Degrees That Do Not Lead to a Job
VES’s 2015 report, The GI Bill Pays for Degrees that Do Not Lead to a Job, identified 8-degree programs offered by 15 different schools, at both brick and mortar campuses and online, that failed to [...]
OUR ADVOCACY LETTERS
Veterans Education Success works with our military and veteran allies to send policy advice to government officials.
Letter From 5 Higher Ed Organizations to The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements on Distance Education
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements President/CEO and Board of Directors 3005 Center Green Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301 July 26, 2021 Re: Proposed 21st Century Guidelines for Distance Education Dear President Williams and Members [...]
Policy Memo from the Today’s Student Coalition to Secretary of Education Cardona
April 16, 2021 Dear Secretary Cardona: The Today’s Students Coalition is a cross-cutting group of 30 policy, advocacy, and membership organizations who have joined forces to push for urgently-needed policy changes that will better serve [...]
Veterans Education Success Hails Unanimous Passage of Landmark Legislation to Protect Student Veterans and Ensure Better Oversight of GI Bill Colleges
December 16, 2020 For Immediate Release Contact: Carrie Wofford: carrie@vetsedsuccess.org Veterans Education Success hails unanimous passage of landmark legislation to protect student veterans and ensure better oversight of GI Bill colleges Veterans Education Success proposed, [...]
Our Letter to the VA Advisory Committee on Education
December 7, 2020 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Education Services 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington DC 20420 Via electronic submission to EDUSTAENG.VBAVACO@va.gov Re: Advisory Committee on Education Dear Members of the Advisory [...]
Comment from 15 Groups on Federal Student Aid’s Strategic Plan FY 2020-24
October 23, 2020 Major General Mark A. Brown, USAF (Ret.) Chief Operating Officer Office of Federal Student Aid 830 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20202 Re: Comments on FSA’s Approach to Financial [...]
Our Comment on Federal Student Aid’s Draft Strategic Plan FY 2020-24
Affiliation: Other Name and Name of Organization: This comment is submitted by James Haynes on behalf of Veterans Education Success. Part 2: Strategic Goals and Objectives X Strategic Goal 1 X Strategic Goal 3 X [...]
Letter from Ten Higher Education Organizations to the Department of Education about ACICS
September 11, 2020 Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation Group Office of Postsecondary Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Re: Petition for Renewal of Recognition, Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and [...]
Letter to Congress from 44 Organizations on Supporting Student Parents in the next COVID-19 Relief Package
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader U.S. House of [...]
Comment from Nine Higher Education Groups on the Higher Learning Commission’s Proposed Standards and Policy Revisions
Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley President Higher Learning Commission 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604 May 25, 2020 Dear Dr. Gellman-Danley and the Higher Learning Commission, Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment [...]
Letter from Student Veterans of America and Veterans Education Success to Secretary DeVos on CARES Act Guidance
May 19, 2020 The Honorable Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202 Re: CARES Act Guidance and Military-Connected Students Dear Secretary DeVos: On behalf of veterans, service [...]
MORE NEWS & INFO
Our Statement for the Record: September 30th House Subcommittee on Education and Labor Hearing on Closed School Discharge
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON CLOSED SCHOOL DISCHARGE SUBMITTED TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE INVESTMENT SUBCOMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 30, 2021 Chairwoman Wilson, Ranking Member [...]
Inside Higher Ed: Judging a Degree by the Program, Not the College
Two new studies examine which degree programs at which institutions offer graduates the best chance of recouping their costs and repaying their loans. Read the full Inside Higher Ed story here.
Bloomberg Businessweek: Apollo Doubles Its Money in $1 Billion Bet on Tarnished Colleges
“We haven’t seen anything that would indicate a dramatic change in their behavior,” says Aniela Szymanski, a senior director at Veterans Education Success, a research and advocacy group. “It is kind of disappointing when we [...]
USA Today: A College Closed, Upending One Veteran’s Life. Two Years Later, He’s Still Rebuilding
"Harrison didn’t know the safeguards he’d depended on were not as solid as they appeared. For example, the Veterans Affairs Department doesn’t track how well a university prepares its students for the workforce, said Carrie [...]
Policy Makers Need Additional Data to Better Understand Postsecondary Outcomes for Undergraduate Veterans of Color
Source: National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey, 2016. Blog Post By: Walter Ochinko May 2021 Our report, Postsecondary Outcomes for Veterans of Color, compares their outcomes to those of their white veteran counterparts using U.S. [...]
Battle Borne: Trade School Scams, Trucking, and the Uncertain Future of Veteran Work
"One of the few available analyses into G.I. Bill-eligible trade schools comes from the policy non-profit Veterans Education Success (VES). In a 2019 report, they found that ten years after their trade schooling, less than half of [...]
Diverse Issues in Higher Education: NACAC Creates Committee to Improve Financial Aid and College Admissions Systems for Racial Equity
"The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has announced a committee to reimagine financial aid and college admissions in the pursuit of racial equity in postsecondary education. Members include... Kendra Allen, associate director of [...]
Senators raise GI Bill questions at nomination hearing for VA Nominee Denis McDonough
In case you missed our live-tweeting, Senators asked important GI Bill questions of VA Secretary Nominee Denis McDonough at his confirmation hearing on January 27, 2021. We are grateful that Senators on both sides of [...]
ISSUES
Policy issues of Veterans Education Success
Veterans Education Success works to improve post-secondary quality and student outcomes to ensure military-connected students enjoy a solid education leading to a successful civilian career. You will find research reports and coalition letters related to college quality and student outcomes.
Veterans Education Success seeks to ensure students have adequate protections and rights and also believes bad actor colleges should be held accountable if they’ve trampled on students’ rights. You will find research reports and coalition letters related to student protections and college accountability.
Vterans Education Success works to protect the GI Bill and other federal education benefits.