Georgia State University climbed four spots in the past year to be ranked No. 7 in the nation by Military Times Best for Vets Top Colleges 2020.

The university is the only four-year college in Georgia to make the top 10.

The annual rankings are the result of Military Times’ survey of schools’ veteran and military student offerings and rates of academic achievement.

“Being recognized as one of the best institutions for military-connected students demonstrates our level of commitment to providing outstanding service and support to our 2,800-plus military-related students,” said Mark Eister, Georgia State’s military outreach director. “Our goal is to see every student who is a military service member, veteran or family member reach his or her academic goal and earn a college degree.”

Eister said the survey involved hundreds of colleges across the country and used their answers, combined with federal data, to rank the institutions. Of more than 2,400 four-year schools in the nation eligible for consideration, 134 were ranked and made the Best for Vets list, he said.

The rankings, which are in their 10^th year, are based on university culture, academic outcomes and quality, student support, academic policies, cost and financial aid. University culture and academic outcomes and quality carry the most weight.

Also factored in were data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as three U.S. Department of Education sources: the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database.

Eister credits Georgia State’s Military Outreach Centers with the program’s continued success.

“The No. 1 resource of any organization is its people, and this holds true with our six Military Outreach Centers,” Eister said. “Each one is managed by knowledgeable, professional and caring staff who go the extra mile in serving our military students and their families.”

In addition to the Military Times survey ranking, Georgia State has been ranked by Viqtory Media as the No. 1 Military Friendly Tier 1 Research Institute.

Eister said providing a dedicated space and person to which Georgia State’s student veterans can turn for assistance has led to Georgia State achieving high Military Friendly® rankings.

“Military Friendly® is the standard that measures an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefit for the military community,” Eister said.