Student Veteran Services

A VIQTORY Military-Friendly® University since 2010, Appalachian offers a dedicated staff to process benefits and provide advice and development to students, the Major General Edward M. Reeder, Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center on campus, and transfer credit for military education and experience. The Office of Student Veteran Services also provides programming to students, faculty, and staff to ensure we are in line with the nation’s best practices for serving our military-affiliated students. Some of these best practices include specialized advising and orientation for military-affiliated and veteran students, honor cords for graduating veterans and service members, and a number of specialized resources across campus for our student veterans.

Yes! Before applying for admission, prospective students can use the Military Equivalency System to determine how experience from their Joint Services Transcript (JST) equates to specific courses at North Carolina's public universities, including Appalachian State. Most often, we see credits transfer from military service into area requirements such as Physical Education, Military Science and Leadership, and credits in health science designations for combat medics and corpsman. 

To avoid paying any possible tuition surcharge, please discuss your intentions to transfer credits with our military academic advisor, Max Ruble  (rublewm@appstate.edu).

Appalachian State University is considered by many reports to be very affordable, with our total cost of attendance for both in-state and out-of-state students being lower than the national averages for public universities.  In addition, qualified non-resident members of the U.S. armed forces and their qualified dependents may be eligible for a military tuition rate less than the non-resident rate charged to out-of-state students. Visit our VA Benefits FAQs page to look into an in-state tuition appeal. 

Yes. The University College Academic Advising Center has a specific liason that provides veterans and other military-affiliated students with targeted orientation and advising. To reach out, email Max Ruble at rublewm@appstate.edu. Our office has also revamped our online, self-paced orientation on AsULearn Projects. New students will receive an email from our office to start engaging with our online orientation at the start of their semester of entry.

Students who are deployed during the school year will be offered a military drop without academic or financial penalty for coursework that cannot be completed. For Guard and Reserve students called to a National Emergency, there is a policy in place for the campus to work with those service members while away, to stay enrolled and keep up on their work. Please be sure to fill out the class absence notification with the Dean of Students here: Class Absence Notification. For more information, you can email studentveteranservices@appstate.edu to receive help and guidance or read up on our official policy guidelines for deployment and calls to service. 

Yes! They have an official meeting once a month and also participate in social events, fundraisers, and community service.  Find out more on our Get Involved page. We are also looking at options to expand our engagement and outreach to our Hickory Campus, as well as AppState Online and our Flight Path programs.