Collin College earns 11th straight Military Friendly School honor

Collin College is again leaning on military support as a concrete part of how it serves students, not just a line in a recruiting brochure. The school earned Military Friendly School status for the 11th straight year, along with a Silver ranking for 2026-27 and a Military Spouse Friendly School designation, placing it in the Large Community Colleges category after competing against more than 3,200 organizations.

The ranking carries weight because it is not based on reputation alone. Military Friendly says schools are measured using public data and a proprietary survey that looks at retention, graduation, job placement, degree advancement or transfer, and loan default rates for both the general student population and veterans. The Military Friendly brand is owned by Viqtory, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, and the 2026-27 schools cycle carried a final deadline of June 17.

For veterans and military families in Collin County, the more practical question is what Collin College actually provides. The college says its Veterans Resource Centers help military-affiliated students move into college life and connect them with admissions, academic support, financial aid and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Collin College says it has five campus Veterans Resource Center locations and a central Veterans and Military-Connected Student Services Office that certifies VA benefits and administers the Texas Hazlewood Act exemption.

That support lands in a system that serves about 60,000 credit and continuing education students each year and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates. Collin College also offers bachelor’s programs in fields including nursing, cybersecurity and software development, giving service members and spouses a route to credentials that can translate directly into higher-demand jobs in North Texas.

The college said more than 3,000 veterans and military-connected students were enrolled in spring 2026, underscoring how central that population has become to the institution. The school has also received Texas Veterans Commission VEERA gold-level recognition every year since 2021, and it celebrated 40 years of student success in 2025 after first offering classes in 1985. For families weighing where to enroll, the pattern suggests more than branding: Collin College has built a veteran support structure that is broad, repeated and visible across its 11 campuses, including the iCollin Virtual Campus.