Understanding rural veterans: Toward a conceptual framework of service

Abstract Numerous stereotypes of the veteran population miss the diverse backgrounds of veterans as a group, particularly that one quarter of known veterans are living in rural communities across the United States (VA, 2022). Despite the Federal focus on veteran rural health, there needs to be more literature available on veteran success in community colleges, particularly in rural‐serving community colleges. Also, it is important to know more about how veteran student success influences the communities in which they live. This manuscript includes a comprehensive literature review examining rural veterans in the United States, particularly in higher education, and develops a framework for community colleges to better understand the needs of their rural veteran populations. We conclude by offering several promising practices to effectively serve this diverse population.