For many veterans, returning to college is less about the coursework and more about navigating unfamiliar territory.

Bill Brown, Executive Director of Military Education at ECPI University, draws on 24 years in the Army and understands the importance of helping student veterans build confidence as they adjust to higher education. 

He is featured in the September 2026 issue of U.S. Veterans Magazine, a publication that has spent more than three decades connecting veterans, service members, military spouses, and their families with career, business, and education opportunities.

Read the full feature and watch the interview to learn about the challenges that student veterans face and the support that helps them succeed.

What makes the transition from military service to college challenging?

The hardest part is often understanding how college works as a whole. Things like degree plans and GI Bill® benefits are rarely part of military life, so figuring them out takes time.

"Coming to education for military members is like trying to understand Greek," Brown says.

Time is the other pressure. Many veterans are balancing a job and a family, and they don't have four or five years to spend earning a degree the traditional way.

Despite this, student veterans bring many unique strengths to the process, drawing on their time in service. They stay focused on the goal, and they tend to look out for classmates the same way they looked out for the people they served with.

How does ECPI University support student veterans?

ECPI University builds its support around the real challenges student veterans face, beginning with the transition to college. More than 30% of the university’s student population comes from the military community, whether veterans, active-duty service members, or their families.

It starts with understanding each student before mapping a path, then helping them build a plan that works for them. An accelerated, year-round schedule keeps that path flexible, so veterans can make progress while tending to their responsibilities. Clearing those early hurdles is often the biggest barrier between veterans and a finished degree.

Connection matters just as much. Campuses have Student Veterans of America chapters that give military-connected students a place to build relationships with people who understand where they have been. For the many veterans studying entirely online, an online chapter offers that same sense of community from anywhere.

Every veteran who enrolls deserves to walk away with a degree, and at ECPI University, this work is an ongoing mission.