Student Veterans and Uniformed Military Students in Online Undergraduate Degree Programs: A Phenomenological Study on the Transition From Military to University Student Life

The transition from military to university student life for student veterans and uniformed military students is complicated and burdensome due to the vast differences between military and university student lifestyles. This unique population typically comprises nontraditional-aged students pursuing online degree programs, which come with challenges complicated by military experiences. Higher education institutions have historically provided support for in-person learning environments with traditional-aged college students. The gap in the literature has an evident and critical missing perspective: the experiences of student veterans and uniformed military students enrolled in online undergraduate degree programs. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative research study of student veterans and uniformed military students in online undergraduate degree programs at two private higher education institutions with locations in Texas was to better understand the lived experiences during the transition from military to university student life. Tinto’s theory of student integration served as the theoretical framework, and Vacchi’s model of student veteran support served as the conceptual framework for the study. The participants were recruited from a pool of over 125 student veterans and uniformed military students from two private higher education institutions with locations in Texas. The primary data collection method was semistructured individual interviews, which allowed for open-ended questions. Eleven participants were interviewed— enough for saturation for this research study. The researcher utilized a descriptive method focused on capturing meanings and essences through data analysis and describing the results using a thematic approach. The researcher utilized tables to organize the codes, categories, and themes. This research study yielded three conclusions from nine emergent themes. The essence of the lived experiences highlighted short-term and long-term transition challenges, influences from military training and values, impacts from military-connected service injuries and experiences, building online connections, and approaches to higher education institution support services. Keywords: student veterans, uniformed military students, online students, Tinto, Vacchi, transition, qualitative, challenges, online degree programs, phenomenological, support services