By Wyatt Crosher, Assistant Director of Communications for Student Affairs
UNC Charlotte ranked 78th in the Military Times 2025 Best for Vets college rankings, a significant rise for the University from its previous placement in 2023, when Charlotte was ranked 247th.
Charlotte placed 63rd among public universities in the 2025 list, as well as 19th in the Southeast. The University’s overall efforts for its veterans also earned Charlotte a Top 100 placement in US News & Report’s Best Colleges for Veterans rankings.
“The recognition from Military Times is a reflection of the commitment our entire campus community has made in supporting those who have served and their families,” Chris Brasel, director of Military & Veteran Services, said. “This jump in the rankings validates the work we've put in for our students here at Charlotte. All of MVS is proud of the success stories our students create every day.”
Over the past eight years, the University’s military-affiliated student population more than doubled from 799 to more than 1,600 students.
Alongside that growth, MVS has had a substantial impact on students at Charlotte thanks to its emphasis on making sure veterans are utilizing proper benefits, dedicating over 560 hours to certifying Veterans Affairs benefits in fall 2025.
The time and effort has paid off. This fall, Veterans Affairs invested more than $16 million into Charlotte’s military-affiliated population — an average of about $9,971 per student — to cover the costs of tuition, student fees, housing costs and book stipends.
“The monetary investment from the VA to our military-affiliated students is not just support, it's recognition of what they earned through their service. These benefits are continuation of that commitment, paying for training and education to prepare our students for the next chapter of their lives,” Brasel said. “It is MVS' responsibility to make certain that the sacrifices of our students open doors to opportunities that equip them for success well beyond the graduation stage.”
MVS has also honored military-affiliated students through campus events like the Fall Career Fair, which was hosted in collaboration with NC4Me and was part of Veterans Week, a 10-day long celebration of the University’s veteran population. Spring 2026 events will kick off with the semesterly welcome dinner on Monday, Jan. 26.
More information about the programs and services available for military-affiliated students at Charlotte can be found on the Military & Veteran Services website.