Established in 1946, Olympic College has been educating and supporting veterans since its earliest days. We remain committed to our military-connected students and specify honorably-discharged veterans and military members in our non-discrimination policy. 

This page provides information about support for military or veterans, for both students, and OC employees.

For Military and Veteran Students

Navigating the College Experience: Veterans Face Challenges in Higher Education Not Seen By Other Students, by Mike Richman

The Hard Path from Afghanistan to the Classroom, by Ryan Blum

Explore Ways Community Colleges Serve Veterans, by Briana Boyington

Supporting Military and Veteran Students

Teaching with Student Veterans In Mind

Supporting Veterans in the Classroom

SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach

Missing Perspectives: Service Members' Transition from Service to Civilian Life- Higher Education Research Series

Borsari, B., Yurasek, A., Miller, M. B., Murphy, J. G., McDevitt-Murphy, M. E., Martens, M. P., Darcy, M. G., & Carey, K. B. (2017). Student service members/veterans on campus: Challenges for reintegration. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(2), 166–175. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000199

Under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60), it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of "honorably discharged veteran or military status." The law applies to any individual who served in any branch of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves, fulfilled his or her service obligations, and received an honorable discharge or a discharge for medical reasons with an honorable record. It also includes any individual who is currently an active or reserve member in any branch of the Armed Forces.

Under Washington State law (RCW 28B.10.270), a service member in the National Guard or any other military reserve component who is a student at one of Washington's public universities or colleges, and who is ordered to active duty for more than 30 days has the right to:

• Withdraw, without negative annotation on his or her record, from one or more courses for which tuition and fees have been paid, and have such tuition and fees credited to the student's account;
• Be given a grade of incomplete and be allowed to complete the course upon release from active duty; or
• Continue and complete the course for full credit, with absences due to military service counted as excused and not used to adversely impact the student's grade or class standing.

A service member in the National Guard or any other military reserve component who is a student at a public university or college, and who is ordered to active duty for 30 days or less is entitled to make up any class, test, examination, laboratory, or other event upon which a course grade or evaluation is based. This opportunity must be scheduled after the service member's return from service and after a reasonable time for the student to prepare.

Under state law (RCW 28B.15.624), an eligible Veteran, National Guard member, or his or her spouse who is receiving Veteran education benefits should be allowed to register for their courses early if the institution offers early registration for any other segment of the student population.

For more information, see Washington State Laws Affecting Veterans, from the Department of Veteran Affairs.