ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – College of The Albemarle (COA) has once again been recognized for its commitment to serving the military community by earning two prestigious designations:
- 2025–26 Military Friendly® School – Silver Award Status
- 2025–26 Military Spouse Friendly® School – Designated Friendly
These honors highlight COA’s leadership in providing education for veterans, active-duty service members and their families across northeastern North Carolina.
This marks the fifth consecutive year COA has received the Military Friendly® School designation and the fourth year as a Military Spouse Friendly® School. The college has previously earned Silver, Gold and Top Ten rankings among small community colleges nationwide.
“We’re honored to once again be recognized as both a Military Friendly® and Military Spouse Friendly® School,” said Kris Burris, COA Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management. “These distinctions reaffirm our deep commitment to supporting military-affiliated students and their families through dedicated advising, flexible learning options and meaningful career pathways. We believe in serving those who serve and we are proud to walk alongside them as they pursue their educational and professional goals.”
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2025–26 survey, with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.
The 2025–26 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.
“Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process. Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages institutions to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard,” said Kayla Lopez, national director of military partnerships, Military Friendly®.
For more information about COA’s military and veteran programs, visit www.albemarle.edu/military or contact Robyn Gram, military liaison, at robyn_gram36@albemarle.edu or 252-335-0821, ext. 2258.
For all other inquiries, contact Tammy W. Sawyer, director of communications and marketing, at tammy_sawyer32@albemarle.edu or 252-335-0821, ext. 2420.
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About College of The Albemarle
As the regional community college for northeastern North Carolina, College of The Albemarle fosters educational excellence and serves as the heart of the communities across Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties. With four strategically located locations, COA delivers accessible, high-quality education that empowers individuals and transforms lives.
About Military Friendly® Schools
The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources from more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers. The survey is administered for free and is open to all postsecondary schools that wish to participate. Criteria for consideration can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.