Assessing the State of Research on Military-Connected Undergraduates
September 09, 2015

The higher education community needs better definitions and measures for what constitutes “success” for military-connected students.

That is one of the conclusions highlighted in Military-Connected Undergraduates: The Current State of Research and Future Work, a summary of an April 2015 convening hosted by ACE and NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

The convening summary, co-produced by RTI International, captures key takeaways that emerged from the discussion with leading researchers from higher education institutions, non-profit organizations and the federal government. The goal was to develop a clear understanding of the current state of research on military-connected undergraduates—veterans, active duty, National Guard, reserve and dependents—and examine how to target future studies.

Other takeaways included the need for institutions to develop a consistent and reliable approach to identify military-connected college students and that researchers should make use of existing national-level data.

The convening summary also has recommendations for future research and policy topics, including:

  • Conduct comprehensive, longitudinal studies on military-connected individuals (before, during and after college)
  • Better understand the complex transition from military service to higher education
  • Explore the relationship between remediation and credit for prior learning with military service

This was the second in a three-part series sponsored by ACE and NASPA aimed at engaging leading experts in higher education practice, research and policy related to military-connected individuals.

The first meeting, held in February, featured student veterans and campus-based professionals who work directly with student veterans and service members in areas such as student affairs, counseling and admissions.

The final convening is slated for later this year or 2016 and will look at potential principles and best practices for serving military-connected undergraduates.

Click here to download the summary.