UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — Penn State World Campus is the top institution in Pennsylvania for service members and veterans for the third straight year, according to Military Times’ 2026 Best for Vets: Colleges rankings, released Monday, Nov. 9.
Penn State World Campus, which offers Penn State degrees entirely online, also ranked No. 1 among the 24 colleges and universities in Military Times’ online category for the second straight year and No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic region, up from No. 3 in 2025. Among all 370 institutions ranked nationwide, including traditional and hybrid schools, Penn State World Campus placed No. 19.
“Many of our military students live and work right here in Pennsylvania, and the Commonwealth is stronger when they can keep building their careers here,” said Karen Pollack, interim vice provost for Online Education at Penn State. “A National Guard member in Pittsburgh and a veteran in Philadelphia can earn the same Penn State degree without leaving home, their family, their job or their unit. Our faculty and staff are focused on helping them finish, and a third straight year at No. 1 in Pennsylvania reflects that commitment.”
Roughly one in five Penn State World Campus graduates has a military connection, including active-duty service members, veterans, reservists, National Guard members and military spouses.
So far in 2026, 101 military-connected Pennsylvanians earned their Penn State degrees online through Penn State World Campus. Fifteen of them live in southeastern Pennsylvania, including graduates from Chester County.
Penn State World Campus is the only fully online institution in Pennsylvania recognized as a Guard-Friendly School by the Pennsylvania National Guard Associations. Military grant-in-aid at Penn State World Campus reduces undergraduate tuition by more than 40% per credit and can be combined with Military Tuition Assistance and the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Educational Assistance Program and Military Family Education Program.
Military Times describes Best for Vets: Colleges as the largest and most comprehensive ranking of schools for service members and veterans. The rankings are based on a survey of participating colleges and universities, with student success measures weighted most heavily, followed by military-specific resources and the financial assistance schools offer.
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About Penn State World Campus
Penn State World Campus has offered Penn State degrees online since 1998 and today delivers more than 200 degrees, certificates and minors taught by Penn State faculty. Military students work with a dedicated support team, many members of which are veterans or military spouses. Learn more at worldcampus.psu.edu/military.
Media contact: Mike Dawson, mdawson@psu.edu
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