Gonzaga Elevated to Gold Military Friendly Designation for 2024-25

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May 02, 2025
Gonzaga University News Service

Advertised as an atypical college experience, Gonzaga University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) draws military hopefuls from across the country. The program offers an experience quite outside the ordinary, but also access to a massive network of support, unlimited opportunities and one of the largest scholarship programs in the country.

“It's officially the start of their careers,” says Scholarship and Enrollment Advisor Dave McRae. “We hand them a big check, and it says, ‘This is how much we are investing in you, a future leader.’”

It’s this unwavering investment in and support of thousands of students over the years that’s helped to elevate Gonzaga from a Military Friendly School in the silver category to the gold category this year – earning the University two designations in the top 10. For 2024-25, Gonzaga ranked No. 9 for Military Friendly Schools and No. 7 for Military Spouse Friendly Schools among private schools offering doctoral degrees.

Another contributing factor is Gonzaga’s commitment to student veterans and its investment in support programs, services and resources that lead to meaningful graduation, retention, financial and job placement outcomes.

“Gonzaga being awarded the gold ranking for military friendly institutions is a deep honor,” says Steve Keller, senior director of undergraduate admission. “We're always seeking new ways to support military service people, spouses, and dependents in their educational goals. If any military-affiliated student is interested in pursuing a college degree, we hope they will reach out to us in Gonzaga's Office of Admission.”

The designation is awarded by Viqtory, a service-disabled, veteran-owned business which showcases thousands of schools annually to recognize institutions creating sustainable and meaningful education paths for the military community.

The Military Friendly Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources from more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. The survey is administered for free and is open to all postsecondary schools that wish to participate.

“Military-affiliated students add value to our university community,” Keller says, “and, we believe, a Gonzaga education adds value to their future career and life ambitions.”

The complete list of Military-Friendly Schools can be found at MilitaryFriendly.com.

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