Information Station

• VETS Campus

  VETS Campus: Columbia State is proud to be recognized by the Tennessee Department of Veterans’ Services as a VETS Campus. “Passed into law in 2014, the Tennessee Veterans Education Transition Support (VETS) Act establishes a program of recognition for higher education institutions which allocate resources for veterans’ successful transition from military service to college enrollment. An institution receiving VETS Campus certification not only prioritizes outreach to veterans, but successfully delivers the services necessary to create a supportive environment where student veterans can prosper while pursuing their education.” 

• DOD MOU

  DOD MOU: Columbia State has an agreement with the Department of Defense, which is called a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement states that Columbia State is committed to veterans by endorsing The Principles of Excellence and The 8 Keys to Veterans’ Success. The first key states that Columbia State will “create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans.” We take pride in the successful culture we have created for our veterans. On the DOD MOU web site, there is a page called TADecide. This site lets current military and veterans know how many students are currently using tuition assistance, the GI Bill, retention and graduation rates, and so much more about Columbia State.

• DOD SOC

  DOD SOC: Military personnel are not penalized when they receive official orders for permanent or temporary duty that remove them from their course work at Columbia State or other SOC member schools. SOC stands for Service Members Opportunity College, which is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) through a contract with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). According to their web site, the SOC “provide Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificate opportunities to Service members to assist them in preparing for transition into the civilian labor market after their military service. This program is designed to aid in aligning certificate opportunities from degree granting institutions with the Service members expertise in an occupational specialty or technical area they obtained in the military.”

• Yellow Ribbon

  Yellow Ribbon: Columbia State is not a participate in the Yellow Ribbon program because it does not exceed the established tuition thresholds of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. According to the FAQ’s page of VA.gov, “The Yellow Ribbon Program is available for Institutions of Higher Learning (degree granting institutions)…. The program allows approved institutions of higher learning and the VA to partially or fully fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the established thresholds under the Post -9/11 GI Bill.”