by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re a veteran who is thinking about going back to school, it’s important to see how well the school treats its students with prior military service first. So we’ve gathered facts about Southern Maine Community College veterans so you can make an informed choice.
For details on military tuition assistance like the GI Bill® or the Yellow Ribbon Program, see: Southern Maine Community College GI Bill® Information
Our Veterans Report on SMCC:
Colleges with a large veteran population are better equipped to support and accommodate those who have had military experience. Based on VA records, there are 209 GI Bill® students at SMCC. Since the total enrollment at the school is 5,279, about 4.0% of the students are using the GI Bill® to help pay for their education. By comparison, the Student Veterans of America reports that three to four percent of college students nationwide are veterans.
This count covers every chapter of the GI Bill® — Post-9/11, Montgomery, Reserve Education Assistance, and Veteran Readiness and Employment. Active-duty military using Tuition Assistance are excluded, so the actual military population may be bigger. Veteran students account for 0.8% of those enrolled at SMCC, according to U.S. Department of Education figures.
Outcome rates for veterans help show whether a school’s support translates into degrees.
| Outcome | Veterans | All Students |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 6.5% | 19.4% |
| Retention rate | 100.0% | — |
| Persistence rate | 100.0% | — |
| Transfer-out rate | 29.0% | — |
Rates are reported via the VA’s GI Bill® Comparison Tool.
Southern Maine Community College participates in these federal veteran programs and offers the support below.
| Federal Program | Participation |
|---|---|
| Principles of Excellence | Yes |
| DOD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) | Yes |
| Yellow Ribbon Program | Yes |
| Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) | Yes |
What does this mean to me? Below you can view the specific commitments this school has made by participating in individual programs.
| Career and Vocational Support |
|---|
| Accommodate Military Service Members and Reservists absent due to service requirements. |
| Align institutional refund policies with those under Title IV, which governs the administration of federal student financial aid programs. |
| Regionally or Nationally Accredited - view all accreditations |
| Provide information that increases accountability and transparency. |
| Participate in the Military Voluntary Education Review (MVER) |
Southern Maine Community College does have a student veterans group. Visit the group.The school has a dedicated point of contact for veteran and military students. Visit veteran services.
If you have specialized military training, SMCC may take that into consideration and grant college credit for it. Check with an admissions counselor for details. Credit for prior learning can shorten your time to a degree, so it’s worth asking about. Contact SMCC to find out if it grants credit for life experience, CLEP/standardized exams, or other prior learning.
SMCC does not offer Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs.
This school has a clean record with no VA complaints.
Notes and References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.