Victory Media has named Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College a Military Friendly School for 2016. Out of more than 12,000 colleges, universities and trade schools competing for the designation, MGCCC ranked in the top 15 percent, achieving the benchmark required for selection.

Institutions of higher learning competed for the title by completing an extensive survey covering 10 indicators of success, including support for student veterans on campus, graduation and employment outcomes, and military spouse policies.

“We have had a strong relationship with the military for many years and value the opportunity to have a MGCCC presence at all of the military installations on the Coast,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president. “It is our privilege to serve the men and women who risk their lives to protect our freedom.”

The 2016 list of Military Friendly Schools was compiled through extensive research and a free data-driven survey of more than 10,000 VA-approved schools nationwide. The survey results that comprise the 2016 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media. Each year, schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board consisting of educators from schools across the country.

“Veterans are graduates of the premier training institution in the world, but they need a consistent and predictable standard that lets them make good choices for major life decisions like where to enroll in school,” said Chris Hale, a Navy veteran and chairman and co-founder of Victory Media. “The mission of Military Friendly is to create maximum training and professional opportunities for them and other members of the military community.”

Based in Pittsburgh, Victory Media connects classrooms to careers for the nation’s next generation of professionals. Its data-driven ratings are published in G.I. Jobs, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur and featured in national media.