Our History and Commitment to the Veteran Community
A History of Commitment to Veteran Education
The Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI) at Columbia University emerged from more than a century of institutional commitment to educating and empowering military veterans. Columbia’s support began during World War I and deepened through World War II, creating one of the most enduring legacies of veteran education in the nation. From the pioneering “War Aims” course in 1918—later the foundation of Columbia’s Core Curriculum—to enrolling thousands of returning service members through its extension programs, and ultimately establishing the School of General Studies in 1947, Columbia has long led the way in expanding academic access for veterans.
That legacy carried forward into the 21st century. With the advent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program, veteran enrollment surged. By 2023, more than 350 undergraduate veterans were studying at Columbia—more than at all other Ivy League schools combined.
Fostering Collaboration and Advancing a Culture of Support
In response to the evolving needs of today’s transitioning service members, Columbia launched CVTI in 2017. The Center partners with colleges and universities, mission-aligned nonprofits, and professionals nationwide to provide training, educational tools, and support services that expand capacity and improve outcomes for the veteran community.
Our Commitment to the Columbia Community
CVTI is deeply committed to not only engaging in the national discourse on veteran and military-connected affairs, but also strengthening the ecosystem of support within Columbia University. We aim to bridge gaps, create connections, and work alongside our colleagues at every level to ensure that student veterans are not only supported but fully integrated into the university community.
One such way we do this is by bringing dedicated experts together to harness what has worked for the School of General Studies and offer it as a foundation for capacity building across Columbia’s schools and departments. Columbia’s School of General Studies (GS) has long been a leader, with initiatives like reinforcing a dedicated student veteran support role to address the evolving needs of GS veteran and military-connected students, and the GS Veteran Mentoring Program, which provides peer support, tracks student veteran engagement, and measures the pulse of the veteran community.
Through our work with the Columbia University Veteran and Military-Connected Student Support Partnership, we gather together faculty and staff members working across our campus serving student veterans at both the undergraduate and graduate level. This cross-campus collaboration reflects Columbia’s broader legacy of veteran inclusion and underscores our commitment to innovation, integration, and shared success. Together we are able to continue building a community where every veteran and military-connected student at Columbia has the tools and connections they need to thrive.