HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 02, 2026 / AICUP Veterans Day Survey: “Serving Those Who Serve”

AICUP Ranked 10th Largest “GI Bill Campus” in USA

(Harrisburg, PA) – In celebration of veterans, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) published its 3rd annual Veterans Day Survey, providing a glimpse of how colleges support veterans through education and re-training. Surveying 80+ independent nonprofit schools, AICUP found that:

• 6,398 GI Bill students enrolled at AICUP schools in Pennsylvania in the last year (2025-2026).
• 10th Largest “GI Bill Campus” in USA: When counting the AICUP member schools together as one “GI Bill Campus” (VA’s term), AICUP ranks 10th in the nation in enrolling the most GI Bill students (visual).
• 1 in 3 veterans in Pennsylvania using GI Bill benefits choose AICUP schools to pursue their education.
• 99% of AICUP schools partner with the VA to work with veterans pursing their education with the GI Bill.
• 91% of AICUP schools offer Yellow Ribbon additional funding for veterans from the school itself.
• 70% of AICUP schools support ROTC officer training, either as a host or cross-town partner.
• 14 AICUP schools host a Veterans Lounge for student veterans to study and socialize on campus.

NEW in 2026: AICUP was asked to participate in the first-ever Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the US Army War College, highlighting the many contributions of the AICUP schools to national defense for an audience of defense and tech CEOs, and military and civic leaders.

“One of the best ways we can support our veterans is to guide them to their next career through a top-notch education,” said AICUP President Tom Foley. “Independent nonprofit colleges offer little-known and surprising benefits for veterans, like the Yellow Ribbon, which can mean more funding for a veteran’s education.”

Surprising: VA data shows that many veterans and active service members choose for-profit schools. At least 7 of the top 20 “Largest GI Bill Campuses” according to the VA are for-profit or aligned with a for-profit, enrolling a combined total of nearly 60,000 military students. (Studies by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the U.S. Senate show diminishing returns for students who attend for-profit education programs, in contrast to the higher graduation rates and ROI found at independent nonprofit colleges and universities like those of AICUP).

The 2026 AICUP survey data was sourced from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Visit the AICUP website for the map with the names of all 80+ AICUP member schools and the new AICUP value dashboard. For comprehensive examples of innovations and defense-adjacent majors at the independent nonprofit colleges of Pennsylvania, see the AICUP white paper, “Higher Education is the ‘Secret Weapon’ of National Defense.”

# # #

A PDF version of this news release is linked here: 

https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AICUP-Veterans-Day-2026.pdf