Savannah Technical College was ranked No. 2 in U.S. for Career and Technical Colleges by Military Times for 2019. Previously, the College was ranked No. 1 for 2018 and 2017, and for-profit ECPI University moved to the No. 1 position for 2019.
“I am so proud that Savannah Technical College has been recognized as the top public career and technical college in the U.S.” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “Our active duty military students, their family members, and our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country. I believe it is our responsibility to provide anything and everything they need as they pursue their higher education goals.
One in four STC students is a veteran, active duty service member or a military dependent or spouse. The college waives all general mandatory fees for active duty service members using military tuition assistance. Four years ago, Savannah Tech opened a Veteran’s Service Center at the Savannah campus. Savannah Tech has the largest enrollment of military-affiliated students in the Technical College System of Georgia.
Other services Savannah Tech offers for veterans include workshops and grants. The college has multiple scholarships for military-affiliated students. This includes scholarships that provide gap funding for military with U.S. Coast Guard members, a Freedom Fund to provide needs-based scholarship assistance for soldiers, veteran and spouses and a scholarship that supports Savannah Tech’s military spouses is funded by The Landings Military Family Relief Fund.
Savannah Tech’s Military Outreach Coordinator Jim Krupp coordinates a variety of initiatives enabling current and former military personnel, as well as their family members, to enroll in the college, graduate, and engage in careers with our local industries and businesses. He is a retired Army Aviation First Sergeant with more than 26 years of active duty service. He completed a number of assignments throughout his military career including overseas duty in Germany, Korea, and Hawaii, and also participated in several combat deployments including to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
“We are proud to serve military-affiliated students and continue to look for ways to support them, including unique training programs, scholarships and support services,” said Krupp. Savannah Technical College offers programs that help area veterans get the technical skills and certifications employers are looking for quickly. “Savannah Technical College graduates have a 93.1 percent placement rate in their field of study, which shows that employers hire our graduates for their trained workforce,” Krupp said.
Military Times’ annual Best for Vets: Colleges survey asks colleges and universities to disclose academic outcome and input data, describe many aspects of veteran culture on campus and meticulously document a wide array of services, special policies, accommodations and financial incentives offered to students with military ties. Military Times also factors in data from the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments, as well as three Education Department sources: the IPEDS Data Center, College Scorecard data and the Cohort Default Rate Database.
For the full Military Times Best: Colleges 2019: Career & Technical Colleges rankings, go to: https://rebootcamp.militarytimes.com/news/education/2018/10/22/best-for-vets-colleges-the-best-schools-for-military-students-in-2019/.