The Case for Veteran-Friendly Higher Education in Canada and the United Kingdom

This paper presents the case for greater effort to encourage former armed forces members, otherwise known as veterans, to access and thrive in higher education institutions in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). By looking at existing research, almost exclusively conducted in the United States (US) and Australia, it proposes that similar efforts should be applied in Canadian and UK contexts. Whereas the US has developed educational opportunities and policies for this community since the inception of the 1944 GI Bill, Australia and Canada seem only now to be increasing attention in this area, while the UK appears not to be doing so at all. Building on this lengthy, primarily US research base and attention, along with nascent investigation and recommendations in Australia, the authors consider how both Canada and the UK might develop similar initiatives. These include targeted marketing and financial packages aimed at veterans, improved monitoring and support for them, and the creation of student veteran and staff associations and other peer support mechanisms. It is argued that this will not just benefit the student veterans concerned, but also the institutions they choose to study with, and the wider Canadian and UK societies they inhabit.