Should military-friendly schools be defined by the support services—psychological, financial or otherwise—offered not only to veterans and servicemembers but their spouses and dependents as well? What about the ease and speed in which schools permit transfer of credits from College Level Examination Program tests or coursework done at schools in other regions of the country? How much weight, too, should be given to the quality of the faculty, regardless of whether they have military backgrounds or insight? Colleges or universities with a relative lack of active scholarship may not be very friendly to the pursuit of learning period.

This year, the editors of KMI Media Group, publisher of Military Advanced Education, will again judge the top “military-friendly” colleges and universities in the United States, with the results of this now third-annual endeavor to be announced in our December issue. Whether they be small, regionally focused institutions or large, well-known brands, schools are encouraged to apply starting in mid-August, when MAE will post the application on its Website, at www.mae-kmi.com.

Comparisons are odious, as is sometimes noted, because they can be so unfair. But veterans and servicemembers, faced with so many educational choices, want help understanding which schools are best. I think the definition of a militaryfriendly school takes into account all the above factors and others besides, and that there’s no perfect formula for calculating all the ingredients. But what’s your definition?