2026 VetLink Summit Recap: Veterans, Alumni, and Partner Colleges Gather at Yale
Service to School's fourth annual VetLink Summit brought together student veterans, alumni, and admissions partners for two days of connection, insight, and celebration.
Service to School team and admissions representatives from VetLink partner colleges gathered for a group photo while holding pennants from different schools.
Last month, Service to School hosted the fourth annual VetLink Summit at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 9–10, 2026. The Summit is our flagship annual gathering for the VetLink community, bringing current student veterans, VetLink alumni, and representatives from our partner colleges and universities together to reflect on how far the program has come and to strengthen the relationships that make veteran admissions success possible.
Kicking Off in New Haven
This year's Summit marked VetLink's first time at Yale, following past Summits at the University of Chicago and in Washington, D.C.
Thursday afternoon, we kicked things off with a campus tour co-hosted with Yale Admissions, giving student veterans a firsthand look at campus, its history, and a chance to ask questions directly about student and campus culture. It was a fitting start for a Summit centered on helping veterans see themselves at schools like Yale.
From there, the evening moved into an Evening Social & Networking Hour at Bar Pizza on Crown Street, welcoming VetLink partner schools, student veterans, alumni, and community supporters for an evening of community building over light drinks and infamous New Haven pizza. The room was abuzz with laughter and conversations, many new connections made aside numerous reconnections of long-time colleagues.
Day Two: A Full Day of Programming
Friday was the heart of the Summit, packed with sessions designed to bring our college partners into the same conversation about what's working in veteran admissions and opportunities to address challenges for veterans before and after they get to campus.
Service to School CEO Sydney Matthes kicked things off with welcoming remarks, framing the Summit as a chance for the whole VetLink community to reconnect in person and reflect on the program's growth.
Chief Program Officer Annie Behari opened the day with a general overview, setting the agenda and framing the day's priorities. Alex Nieves, S2S's Chief Operations Officer, followed with a look at VetLink program data. She shared how the program has grown and the outcomes it's driving for enlisted veterans applying to top colleges and universities. Annie returned to walk through S2S's "To and Through" approach, our organization's support for student veterans not just getting into college, but all the way through to graduation.
Director of Student Advising Emma Parish led a session on the Community College Network, spotlighting how community college pathways help veterans build academic momentum before transferring into VetLink partner schools, a topic that resonated throughout the day, particularly around the challenges of credit transfer between institutions.
One of the day's standout moments was a Fireside Chat with Mike Brown: Understanding the Breadth of Military Experiences, a candid conversation exploring just how varied military backgrounds are and what that means for how colleges evaluate veteran applicants. The full conversation is now live on our YouTube channel — watch it here.
Attendees then broke for lunch and a keynote from Professor Marla Geha, Yale's Professor of Astronomy and Physics and the Program Director of The Research Experience for Veteran Undergraduates. Known for her work studying dwarf galaxies and mentoring veteran students in STEM, Professor Geha brought a unique perspective on academic mentorship and what it takes for non-traditional students to thrive in rigorous programs.
The afternoon turned practical, with Sydney leading "How to Read a VetLink Addendum," a session for admissions partners on how to evaluate the supplemental materials VetLink students submit alongside their applications. S2S staff then hosted a Student Applications Discussion, digging into real trends and questions coming out of this year's application cycle.
The day's centerpiece for many attendees was the Town Hall, an open discussion between S2S staff and admissions representatives about the issues shaping veteran admissions right now. A few themes came up again and again:
Community college partnerships, especially the friction around credit transfer as students move from community colleges into four-year VetLink schools
Supporting non-traditional students on campus, including needs that fall outside what most universities typically offer, like family housing for veterans with spouses and children
The unique shape of the military applicant experience, not just coursework, but how military service intersects with essays, letters of recommendation, and standardized testing requirements, and where colleges have room to offer flexibility
The Summit closed with Reflections from Annie and Sydney, tying the day's conversations back to VetLink's mission and looking ahead to how the program will keep evolving to meet students where they are.
Why the VetLink Summit Matters
Since its founding in 2016, VetLink has helped thousands of enlisted veterans and transitioning service members earn admission to top colleges and universities, connecting them with dedicated mentors, application guidance, and direct lines to admissions teams at partner schools. The annual Summit is where our community comes together in person to share how the program shaped their path to and through college, while admissions partners get a direct line into the realities of the veteran application experience, from credit transfer hurdles to the case for flexibility around testing and recommendations.
Looking Ahead
Service to School team gathered in the hallway at Yale University.
We're grateful to Yale University for hosting this year's Summit, to every partner school representative who joined the Town Hall conversation, and to the student veterans and alumni who made the trip to New Haven. The conversations from this year's Summit, especially around community college pathways and support for non-traditional students, will directly inform how VetLink evolves in the year ahead.
Learn more about VetLink and how Service to School helps veterans navigate the college admissions process.
Interested in becoming a VetLink partner school, mentor, or sponsor, we’d love to connect.
