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HAYS, Kan. -- Fort Hays State University's commitment to quality, affordable education for veterans and current members of America's armed forces was recognized again on Friday when the university was designated a 2017 Military Friendly® School by Victory Media.

Each year, the list of Military Friendly® Schools is provided to service members and their families to help them select the best college, university or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career.

"Reaching and surpassing the higher and more comprehensive standard that was set this year really shows that FHSU is committed to the academic success of active duty personnel, veterans and their families by providing outstanding student services and support," said Amber Elrod, a U.S. Army veteran and military student specialist at Fort Hays State.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media's proprietary survey. More than 1,700 schools participated in the 2017 survey; 1,273 were awarded with the designation. Ratings methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Victory Media with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community.

Final ratings were determined by combining the institution's survey scores with the assessment of the institution's ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) rates, and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

FHSU will be showcased along with other 2017 Military Friendly schools in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools, special education issues of G.I. Jobs® and Military Spouse Magazine, and on militaryfriendly.com.

Victory Media, founded in 2001, is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities through its G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur®, STEM JobsSM and Military Friendly brands.

For more information, go to the FHSU Virtual College military services website at www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/military, email virtualcollege@fhsu.edu or call 785-628-4291.