The University of Louisville (UofL) has received the prestigious Military Friendly® Gold Seal for the 2024-2025 academic year. This gold-level recognition, achieved for the third consecutive year, places UofL among an elite group of only 12 R-1 universities to earn this distinguished honor. Additionally, UofL has been recognized with the Military Spouse Friendly® designation, underscoring the institution’s commitment to supporting military members and their families. 

Why the Military Friendly® Gold Seal is Significant  

The Military Friendly® Gold Seal designation highlights the university’s commitment to supporting military members and their families as they pursue higher education. UofL offers military-connected students flexible and supportive learning environments, no matter where their service takes them, with an extensive catalog of online programs and resources for military-connected students.   

Kayla Lopez, the National Director of Military Partnerships at Military Friendly®, explains the importance of this designation: “Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and data-driven standards. Schools that achieve the Gold Seal not only meet but exceed these standards, showcasing a genuine commitment to enhancing the educational experience for the military community.” 

UofL’s Commitment to Military Students and Families 

UofL’s continued recognition as a Military Friendly® Gold Seal School and its Military Spouse Friendly® designation demonstrates its ongoing dedication to supporting military-affiliated individuals. Key benefits for military-affiliated students include: 

• Tuition Assistance: Special rates are available for active-duty, Coast Guard, Reserve, and National Guard service members who qualify. See tuition rates by individual program for specific details. 
• Deployment Flexibility: Return to your program seamlessly after deployment assignments without any penalties. 
• Credit for Military Experience: Earn college credit toward your degree for your military experience, working knowledge, leadership, professional development or any certificate program courses you have previously taken.
  • Click here to see the online programs currently awarding credit for these areas.
• Career and Transition Support: Access comprehensive career guidance, planning services and transition assistance to help you achieve your professional goals.
• Dedicated Support Team: The Center for Military-Connected Students is here to support you and help you reach your educational and career objectives.  

Ready to Advance Your Education? 

UofL is dedicated to helping military-affiliated students achieve their educational and career goals. Discover how UofL’s online programs can support your ambitions and provide a flexible, high-quality education. Click here to learn more and get started!

For many, Blackboard is a familiar resource and tool used by many colleges and universities around the country to help students manage their assignments, locate a syllabus, communicate with professors and so much more. While beneficial for in-person students, Blackboard is particularly helpful for online students, who don’t always have the opportunity of being able to check in with professors in-person.  

Starting with the fall 2024 semester, UofL has transitioned to Blackboard Ultra! Blackboard Ultra provides users with a more modernized view and better accessibility for mobile users.  

For those who have been away from school for some time, managing and navigating this software can certainly be intimidating. That’s why we took the time to prepare two quick resources to help you learn how to navigate this platform with ease, simplifying your academic pursuits!  

Click here to watch a quick video from Blackboard Ultra that can help you better understand where to find common features, like where your grades and assignments are located.  

Additionally, you can click here for a full Blackboard orientation! This can be especially helpful for first time users, or for those who have been away from higher education for an extended time.   

The start of the semester can be a challenging and overwhelming time, with new software, due dates, expectations and so much more getting thrown at you all at once. Let us be the first to say, we believe in you! You’ve made the exciting and honorable choice to advance your life and your education, and we’re here to support your journey however we can. Check out the links above to learn more about Blackboard Ultra, and best of luck with the start of your new semester! Go Cards!