Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 • Cristal Gonzalez : contact

The University of Texas at Arlington was named Texas’ top public university for military service members and veterans and No. 5 across all American universities, according to the 2024 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges list.

Military Times has ranked UTA as a top five institution for the past five years for its support and commitment to military-connected students. The publication describes its annual rankings as the largest and most comprehensive in the nation in examining the best schools for military service members and veterans. It looks at services available to veterans and offers practical information that will help veterans make important decisions about their career planning and best use of the education benefits they earned through military service.

"I am incredibly proud of the recognition in the Military Times Best for Vets because this achievement reflects the commitment and support of the entire UTA community—our faculty, staff, and most importantly, our students,” said James Kumm, executive director of Military and Veteran Services. “Their dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for military-connected students is what makes UTA a national leader in veteran education and success. Together, we continue to set the standard for excellence in serving those who have served and their families."

UTA’s Military and Veteran Services, located in the Division of Student Affairs, offers a variety of coordinated services for all military-connected students in five core areas: transition, health and well-being, education benefits, engagement and career readiness. Additionally, the University offers dedicated advising, peer mentoring and community-building activities to ensure students have all the resources to thrive and achieve their academic goals.

More than 4,000 military-connected students are attending UTA this semester; 1,600 are veterans, on active duty or members of the National Guard or Reserve. The remaining 2,600 are military children or spouses. Since 2017, UTA has served over 70,000 military-connected students and conferred degrees to over 10,000.

This December, Navy veteran Tamekia Brookins will join the UTA veteran alumni network and receive her English degree with a minor in professional design and technical writing. Brookins was in the Navy for 17 years and retired at the beginning of 2020. A couple months after her departure she began her academic journey at UTA.

She says receiving her degree has always been a goal of hers and choosing UTA was easy because of its culture of being a veteran-friendly school.

“Getting here and being just a few weeks from graduation would definitely have not been possible without the support of all the people in Military and Veteran Services. James Kumm and Sawyer Howard, coordinator of Military and Veteran Services, have been instrumental in encouraging me and propelling me to move forward, especially when I decided to change majors,” said Brookins. “I have a sense of community here as a veteran, and we all keep encouraging each other to take it one step at a time and keep moving forward.”

About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)

Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive teaching, research, and public service institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through scholarship and creative work. With an enrollment of approximately 41,000 students, UT Arlington is the second-largest institution in the UT System. UTA’s combination of outstanding academics and innovative research contributes to its designation as a Carnegie R-1 “Very High Research Activity” institution, a significant milestone of excellence. The University is designated as a Hispanic Serving-Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education and has earned the Seal of Excelencia for its commitment to accelerating Latino student success. The University ranks in the top five nationally for veterans and their families (Military Times, 2024), is No. 4 in Texas for advancing social mobility (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), and is No. 6 in the United States for its undergraduate ethnic diversity (U.S. News & World Report, 2025). UT Arlington’s approximately 270,000 alumni occupy leadership positions at many of the 21 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in North Texas and contribute to the University’s $28.8 billion annual economic impact on Texas.