DSC ranks among best online bachelor’s for veterans

Marks 2nd 2015 top U.S. News ranking

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 20, 2015) – For the second time this year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Daytona State College among the nation's top online bachelor's programs – this time for military veterans.

The magazine's listing of America's Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Military Veterans released this week ranked Daytona State No. 2 among over 700 colleges and universities across the nation.

"This is another acknowledgement of our commitment to provide a positive college experience for our former servicemen and women," said DSC President Thomas LoBasso, who is a military veteran. "It reinforces the excellence of our faculty and staff, who are honored to serve our veterans, whether online or in person, and help them complete their programs. In fact, it was my pleasure to announce at our May 18 commencement that we graduated 292 veterans this year, our largest number to date."

In January this year, Daytona State also earned the No. 2 rating in the U.S. News overall best online bachelor's program rankings. It was the third straight year the college placed in the top 10 with its fully online Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management, Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

To be considered for the latest veteran-focused rankings, institutions had to be among the top 75 percent of the 2015 Best Online Bachelor's Program rankings. In addition, the programs had to belong to institutions that are certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, two federal initiatives that help veterans reduce the cost of school.

Adding to the DSC appeal, the college in 2014 joined an elite list of Military Friendly Schools designated by the veteran-owned company Victory Media, which recognizes colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's service members and veterans as students.

Victory Media calls its list America's most stringent and transparent inventory of schools catering to veterans, grading the institutions on nine criteria, including military support on campus, academic credibility and the portion of military students enrolled. Those criteria are assessed through a survey the company makes available to all of the nation's 12,000 VA-approved colleges, of which 15 to 20 percent earn the military friendly designation.

Daytona State began offering bachelor's degrees in 2006 in response to a statewide need to increase Florida's college-educated workforce. The college offers 11 bachelor's programs: the BAS, BSET, BSIT, BS in Nursing and seven BS in Education degrees. Nearly 1,600 baccalaureate students enrolled in online courses during the 2014-2015 academic year. Overall, more than 11,000 students take an online course each year, including bachelor's, associate degree and certificate-seeking students.

Find out more about Daytona State's bachelor's degree programs.

###

---

 

MORE: Offering more than 100 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree programs, Daytona State College is the leader in education and workforce training needs of Volusia and Flagler counties and beyond for more than 60 years. The College enrolls nearly 25,000 students a year at its seven instructional sites, with graduates serving in critical fields including healthcare, emergency services/public safety, business, education, hospitality, engineering, technology, digital media, and more. 

Daytona State has been recognized as a leader in higher education numerous times, consistently by U.S. News & World Report, which ranks the College among the Top Tier Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center has ranked DSC among the top 50 most affordable public four-year institutions in the country, with less than half the tuition of the national average. Community College Week, a leading publication in higher education, annually continues to feature the college in its list of Top 100 Associate Degree Producers. And U.S. News & World Report has ranked DSC among its Top Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans multiple times.

For enrollment information, visit Admissions’ Frequently Asked Questions page.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Chris Thomes, Chris.Thomes@DaytonaState.edu

Marketing & Communications, Marketing@DaytonaState.edu

A Member of the Florida College System

Daytona State College prohibits discrimination and provides equal opportunity in employment and education services to all individuals without regard to age, ancestry, belief, color, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, gender, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status. For more details, read our policy at DaytonaState.edu/hr/equalaccess.html or contact Lonnie Thompson, Director of Equity and Inclusion, (386) 506-3000  ext. 3973, or Thompsl@DaytonaState.edu. The Office of Equity and Inclusion is located at 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114.