80: The number of veteran MBA students at Olin Business School

Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis now enrolls 80 veteran students, a figure that has doubled since 2022. The increase coincides with a specific financial strategy that has removed the primary barrier to entry for military personnel seeking graduate business education.

The school’s growth in this demographic is driven by a combination of federal and institutional funding. Most veteran MBA students attend without paying out of pocket, utilizing a mix of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon benefits and Olin scholarship dollars. This financial model has become a central part of the school's recruitment messaging for the military community.

Seth Kirchhoff, the associate director of admissions and military veteran liaison, has led this effort since joining the faculty four years ago. A U.S. Army veteran himself, Kirchhoff reports that the tuition-free structure is a decisive factor in attracting candidates. He frequently tells his veteran networks that if a candidate is admitted and holds a GI Bill, they will not pay anything for their degree.

Kirchhoff notes that corporate partners, including Boeing, Mastercard, and Worldwide Technologies, report that these graduates add value and make an impact almost immediately upon hiring. This perceived return on investment supports the school's claim that the veteran pipeline produces high-impact leaders.

The program includes the Executive MBA, which targets senior leaders. Brian Fromal, an EMBA student in his second year, served 14 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. He describes the transition from military service to business school as a need for immersion to become fluent in the corporate toolkit. He credits the Olin Veterans Association, or OVA, with providing a supportive environment that integrates military tradition into the campus culture.

The OVA has organized professional and social events, including a formal military ball and a 5K run on campus. Mike Mazzeo, the Judy and Jerry Kent Dean and Knight Family Professor at Olin, states that veteran students bring leadership experience and perspective to the school. He asserts that these students graduate ready to make an impact in St. Louis and beyond.

Fromal is applying his new skills directly to the local economy. In 2024, he moved to St. Louis for his wife’s career as a retina specialist. He recently co-founded OODA, a development company named for the military decision-making cycle. The firm is currently focused on rebuilding the Fountain Park neighborhood, which was devastated by a tornado in 2025, by adding new single-family and multifamily homes.