A Spring of Firsts

The spring of 2025 was one of the most extraordinary periods in the history of East Tennessee State University’s relationship with the United States military. As a result of events and actions that took place this spring, ETSU is poised to serve even more military-affiliated students and their families. Already, ETSU’s Army ROTC program, tops in Tennessee, has commissioned over 1,600 second lieutenants.

In recent years, ETSU has seen nearly a 50% increase in military-affiliated enrollment, bringing the total number of military-affiliated students to more than 1,000. And the university is poised for even greater expansion. 

In April, ETSU earned Gold status in the 2025-26 Military Friendly® School rankings, a resounding endorsement of the university’s mission of supporting those in uniform. That level of recognition came about through a rigorous evaluation of public data, student feedback, and institutional programs. ETSU has been designated a Military Friendly® School for 15 consecutive years. 

ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine is widely known for its record of serving veterans, and this spring, a new partnership was announced that will expand the college’s outreach to veteran populations. Through an admissions pathway with the Special Operations Forces to School of Medicine, Quillen will guarantee interviews to qualifying candidates and provide a direct admissions pathway with SOFtoSOM, beginning with the class of 2029 application cycle. 

In the last five years alone, Quillen has enrolled 29 veterans, and with the new pathway, that number will undoubtedly increase. SOFtoSOM started as a group of service members connecting through social media to assist each other in their journey to medical school. They gathered informally to help each other in studying for the Medical College Admission Test. In 2023, the organization was officially founded as the first non-profit dedicated to helping special forces operators pursue medicine, and it is breaking new ground in health care representation, advancing medical education, and fostering a brighter future for veterans in medicine. 

The capstone event for military-affiliated students at ETSU occurred on May 23, when the university’s Board of Trustees made history by approving a policy that will allow active-duty undergraduate military students to benefit from a drop in their tuition rate by nearly half, beginning this fall. The board enthusiastically granted its stamp of approval to a new tuition structure that lowers the per-credit-hour rate for active-duty military undergraduate students using Department of Defense Tuition Assistance to no more than $250.

ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland said the new structure expands access and honors the service of those in uniform. “These men and women are serving our country while advancing their education. We owe them an affordable and accessible path worthy of their sacrifice.” 

Col. (Ret.) Dan Bishop, Director of the Office of Military and Veteran Services, called the new tuition structure another example of the strategic investments ETSU has made in support of its military-affiliated population, including creating and staffing a dedicated Military and Veteran Services Office, establishing the Military-Affiliated Resource Center, and offering scholarships for veterans and military dependents. 

“We are exceptionally proud of the support the ETSU community provides to our military-affiliated student population,” Bishop said. “ETSU has cultivated a welcoming and supportive environment for them. The recent approval by the ETSU Board of Trustees of the Department of Defense Tuition Assistance Match Program marks a transformative milestone. This initiative reinforces our commitment to making higher education more accessible for those who serve.”  
On April 11, Bishop explained to the Board of Trustees’ Finance and Administration Committee that the Tuition Assistance Program is the primary education benefit available to active duty service members. He indicated that there are over 200,000 service members using the benefit annually. 

“The preponderance of those using Tuition Assistance are from the enlisted ranks, pursuing their first undergraduate degrees,” Bishop told committee members. “Education is one of the top three reasons why individuals join the military.”