For the first time, Coastal Carolina University has earned a Bronze distinction rating as a Military Friendly® School from VIQTORY, a veteran-owned communication and marketing firm that ranks schools and businesses according to their commitment to veteran and military personnel.

The Bronze distinction is given to institutions that have exceptional military/veteran programs, and the award is designed to showcase their dedication, according to the criteria outlined by Victory Media. Only three other four-year higher education institutions in the state have a Bronze distinction.

CCU has received a Military Friendly School designation every year since 2011. Organizations named to this list have met a standard that measures commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful opportunity for the military community, which includes active duty, reserve and guard service members, veterans and military spouses.

"This latest distinction is an acknowledgement of Coastal Carolina University's growing reputation as an institution that cares about our military and our veterans," said CCU President David A. DeCenzo.

CCU recently received an $80,000 grant from Boeing of South Carolina for the Boeing Skills to Lead - Veterans Career Transition Program, designed to help veterans and their families transition from military life to the civilian workforce.

Last year, CCU was named to the 2018 list of Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online Colleges, one of only 60 institutions nationally and the only one is South Carolina to be included.

In 2017, CCU was designated a Purple Heart University by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and in 2016, CCU became the only university in the state to install a permanent Missing Man Chair of Honor at one of its facilities. The chair is located in Springs Brooks Stadium.

CCU offers many programs and services that assist military personnel and veterans, including the Office of Veterans Services, which assists veterans in transitioning to college; a U.S. Army ROTC program with 51 cadets; and the CresCom Bank Center for Military and Veteran Studies, which collects and preserves oral histories of veterans.

More than 430,000 veterans live in South Carolina, with veterans making up more than 7 percent of the state's population, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

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Video: Coastal Carolina University is a military-friendly university