Why W&M
We're committed to supporting and empowering veterans.
Leveraging Our Strengths to Serve Veterans
Building on our wide-ranging commitment to serving veterans, we have launched a Veteran-to-Executive Transition (VET) program. This initiative leverages William & Mary’s strengths in business graduate education to respond to a workforce shortage in our home region of Hampton Roads, Virginia. William & Mary is surrounded by one of the world’s largest military populations, including major Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine command headquarters. Robert M. Gates '65, L.H.D. '98, former Secretary of Defense and current Chancellor of the university, will serve as the honorary chair of the distinguished advisory group guiding this effort.
A History of Success
William & Mary has a track record of innovation in supporting and empowering veterans, reflected in our ranking as one of the top two universities for veterans in Virginia, and 18th in the nation (U.S. News & World Report 2020). The university enrolls high numbers of service members and veterans (250 annually), especially in our graduate schools, where they represent 8.6% of all students. Our Business School’s MBA programs were selected as “military friendly” in each of the past five years, and our Law School was the #1 “military friendly” American graduate program in 2020. William & Mary’s commitment to serving veterans reflects our 327-year history and location: Virginia is the 8th most populous state for veterans, and is expected to climb to 5th place by 2027 (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Projections for 2017-2037).
An Established Support Network
Our support network for veterans spans the whole university, and includes the Office of Student Veterans Engagement, the Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic, the Troops to Teachers Virginia Center, the Military and Veterans’ Counseling Program, the Major General James Wright MBA program, the Whole of Government Center of Excellence, and Army ROTC.
William & Mary also works very closely with partners in the intelligence community.
