There are more than 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, virtually all of them home to at least a few military-related students, whether those students are active or reserve servicemembers, veterans or spouses, or dependents within military families. Of those schools, more than 1,800 are members of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) consortium, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that requires its members to follow certain standards in, among other things, awarding credit for military training and experience.

Our guide includes fewer than 130 schools, nearly all of them SOC members, and consists of those submissions we received this year with information we hope will help military-related students and their education counselors within the military make a decision about what schools are worth considering as a place to get a certificate or advanced degree of some type.

There are many more schools besides those listed here that serve military-related students well, and any one school listed in this guide may not be a good choice for any one student, based on his or her needs. But we believe we’ve succeeded in our aim with this latest guide to at least provide some consistent, objective, relevant and useful information. In the years to come, we hope to include similar information on many more schools besides those on this latest list.

As many advisers within the military have doubtless observed, the competition among colleges and universities to lure military-related students is increasingly intense. The Post-9/11 GI Bill offers a ready source of student funding during a very troubled period for the U.S. economy that has adversely affected many higher education institutions.

With so many schools touting themselves these days, where do you find the best information about them, including their programs and support facilities? What would you like to see in future versions of our school guide? As always, please e-mail or call us with your thoughts.