UIW has received a grant to help student veterans expand their academic credits with the help of  the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) College Credit for Heroes Capacity Building and Sustainability Program. The $200,000 grant will help to develop and improve a fully integrated system to evaluate military transcripts and turn essential military training and experience into academic credit at UIW.   University officials said that this effort will help south Texas military students and their families to transfer these credits to other colleges.

“San Antonio is known as Military City, USA, and has had strong military ties for over 300 years,” says Jonathan Lovejoy, UIW senior director for Military and Veterans Affairs. “At UIW, we make a concerted effort every day to make sure our veterans and their families feel welcome and supported. Today, we are proud to say that approximately 21% of UIW students are military connected. The Texas Workforce Commission College Credit for Heroes grant will allow UIW to better serve our amazing military and veteran student population and better serving students has always been a part of the UIW Mission.” 

This grant will initiate a Military Transfer Credit Center and hire a grant manager who focuses on expediting the evaluation of military transfer credits, promoting consistency in the award of credits, maximizing the number of military transfer credits, facilitating degree completion and validating the integrity of military training, Lovejoy added.

It is estimated that there are currently 1.5 million veterans and transitioning active-duty service members in Texas. 

The two-year grant began August 2023, with year one being the planning phase to develop processes for the program.

For more information, please email [email protected].