Seton Hill University is ranked No. 1 among Regional Colleges in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s inaugural rankings of the Best Colleges for Veterans.

The new rankings provide data and information on schools that offer federal benefits, including tuition and housing assistance, to veterans and active service members in order to help them pursue a college education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill^®.

“Seton Hill is proud of our long history of honoring the men and women who have served our nation,” said Interim President Bibiana Boerio. “We first welcomed veterans in 1946, when 40 World War II veterans were accepted as students to what had been exclusively a women’s college. Some of these heroes, including Louis “Shy” Shapiro, who went on build a successful optometry practice, continue to return to Seton Hill to express their gratitude for the opportunities the University provided them after the war.”

“Today, we remain committed to assisting veterans as well as members of the Reserves and National Guard – and their families – in not only understanding and obtaining their well-deserved military benefits, but by also providing a supportive environment in which they can succeed and excel in their academic pursuits,” Boerio continued. “Several members of our faculty and staff are veterans themselves and are keenly aware of the needs of these men and women. They join with Connie Beckel, Seton Hill’s Veterans Affairs Liaison, and Jan Beckage, sponsor of the Student Veterans Club, to ensure that these student veterans make a seamless transition into college life.”

“Currently, 55 veterans and their dependents are enrolled at Seton Hill through the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” Beckel said. “I think we are able to build a wonderful rapport with our student veterans because of the size of our institution and the family atmosphere that allows us to give each and every student the individualized attention they might not be able to get at a larger school. We are pleased by U.S News & World Report’s tremendous acknowledgement of our commitment to programs that enhance the educational opportunities for veterans.”

Seton Hill was ranked as the Best Regional College in the North for Veterans based on its scores for academic quality in U.S. News and World Report’s 2014 edition of America’s Best Colleges. In those rankings, Seton Hill was ranked No. 12 among Regional Colleges in the North for overall academic quality and No. 6 for Best Value.

To qualify for the Best Colleges for Veterans Rankings, Seton Hill had to be certified for the GI Bill^® and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.

“While all prospective students seek a good education from a reputable institution, our military veterans can take advantage of expanded educational benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer for U.S. News. “We developed these rankings to help them find a top-quality institution that also offers federal benefits that ease the burden of applying, paying for and completing a college degree.”

Seton Hill partners with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide full tuition benefits to eligible veterans and their dependents through the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Through the new GI Bill, the VA will pay tuition for eligible veterans in an amount that equals the highest in-state tuition for a public institution of higher learning. Through the Yellow Ribbon Program, Seton Hill and the VA will pay for any additional tuition costs, so that veterans who want to attend Seton Hill can do so without paying extra tuition for attending a private institution.

Eligible veterans and their dependents can also receive a book allowance and monthly allowance for housing costs.

More information about the rankings can be found online.