Cal State San Marcos Ranked Among Most Military Friendly Colleges in U.S.

Cal State San Marcos announced Tuesday that it has been ranked among the most military friendly colleges in the nation and the best among public universities in California.

Cal State San Marcos was credited for having a veterans center on campus and giving college credit for certain military training. 

The list, published by Military Times, also includes Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego among community colleges, and Alliant University in Scripps Ranch among nontraditional institutions.

The rankings were derived from answers to a questionnaire to which 650 schools responded. 

According to CSUSM, the school has the highest percentage of student-veterans per capita of any university in the California State University system. The campus supports its more than 1,100 veteran, active duty personnel or military dependents through the CSUSM Veterans Center, which provides academic support and student services from the application process through graduation.

"Collaborating with the military to respond quickly and relevantly to the unique needs of our strong military region is a smart thing to do from a business perspective, and it's the right thing to from a community perspective,'' said Jan Jackson, vice president for community engagement at CSUSM.

The list ranked the North County university 50th among 68 four-year colleges. No other major universities in San Diego County appeared on the list. Military Times also listed the top 23 community colleges, with Cuyamaca College coming in 22nd. Alliant University ranked sixth among 20 nontraditional institutions. The Carlsbad-based Golf Academy of America ranked 13th out 60 career and technical schools in a separate list published in September.

–City News Service contributed to this report