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Essential Guidance for Survey Takers

  • Accuracy and Verification: Incorrect information, particularly regarding institutional identifiers like VA Facility Codes, IPEDS, and OPEID, can lead to your institution's data being pooled incorrectly or disqualification. These IDs are used to verify your eligibility against public datasets.   

  • Mandatory Benchmarks: To qualify for any designation, your institution must meet at least 3 out of 6 specific performance benchmarks (e.g., a graduation or retention rate of 50% or higher for all or veteran students). Failing to complete the metrics section or meet these thresholds will disqualify your school.   

  • The "First-Time" Metric Rule: When reporting enrollment or retention data for military students, do not use the "first-time" characteristic. Because most military students receive credit for their service experience at the time of enrollment, using this filter will result in an inaccurate count.   

  • Accreditation Standing: Your institution's accreditation must be in good standing; being on probation is a disqualifying factor for the award.   

  • Federal "Caution Flags": Be transparent about any official federal flags (e.g., Heightened Cash Monitoring, settlements, or suspensions) listed on your school's GI Bill® Comparison Tool profile. Discrepancies between your survey response and public data will trigger a manual review.   

Key Resources for Data Collection

  • VA GI Bill® Comparison Tool: Use this to find your school's mandatory ID numbers (Facility Code, OPEID, ED OPE Code) and check for student complaints or federal flags.   

  • NCES College Navigator: Reference this tool to find your institution's IPEDS ID, OPE ID, and student-to-faculty ratio.   

  • NCES CIP Code Lookup: Use this to identify the correct codes for your top degrees and programs with the highest veteran outcome measures.   

Survey Submission Protocols

  • Digital Touchpoints: Provide valid URLs for your institution’s main website, admissions, and veteran-specific pages, as these are used in digital and print publications for prospective students.   

  • Descriptions: You must provide concise summaries (100 words or less) describing your institution and its value proposition for military members, veterans, and spouses.   

  • Hard Close: Note that survey responses cannot be edited or modified after submission. Review all answers carefully before finalizing.   

 

Standard Reporting Fallback (IPEDS)

When calculating and reporting your numbers for this survey, the standard reporting fallback is to pull and report them the same way you do for your IPEDS annual survey. Consistency between your survey responses and public data is vital. The Military Friendly® Schools Guide states that submitted data will be compared against public sources; your metrics must be within 10% of the aggregate data collected by federal agencies.

The "No First-Time" Rule for Military Students

While you should follow IPEDS methodologies for general calculations, there is one major exception for the military population:

  • Do Not Use "First-Time" Characteristics: Most military students enroll with prior credit for service experience or previous schooling.

  • The Rule: When calculating retention or graduation rates for military-affiliated students, remove the "First-time" filter. Using it will result in an undercount and may trigger a data discrepancy flag.

Required Verification Tools

Before submitting, verify your institutional IDs and public metrics using these official resources:

  • NCES College Navigator: Use this to confirm your IPEDS ID, OPEID, and the student-to-faculty ratio reported in your last federal filing.

  • VA GI Bill® Comparison Tool: Check for any "Caution Flags" or student complaints that must be disclosed in the survey.

Warning: No edits or modifications can be made after you click submit. Ensure your Online Profile Manager has reviewed these metrics against your last IPEDS submission to ensure 100% accuracy.