Veteran Transition Counseling and Academic Success

There is extensive research pertaining to the need for transitional support at higher learning institutions for student veterans who discharge from the military and enroll in college, often using their VA benefits while pursuing their education. In addition, much of the research supports the idea that this protected, and often under-served, group of students benefit from transitioning support services. Most institutions have implemented some form of Veterans Services and many institutions provide a Veterans Resource Center for assistance with advising, career counseling, peer support, tutoring, institutional information, community resources, and assistance with VA benefit processing. One gap in the research is the examination of veteran-specific transitional counseling and the impact on academic success for those student veterans that participate in the programming, specifically at (name retracted). The programming is based on the Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (Schlossberg, 1981) that incorporates four main components that need to be assessed to assist in easing any transition. Those components include situation, self, support, and strategies.