UMGC Awarded U.S. Department of Defense Contract for Overseas Military Education Services
Follow-on agreement continues support for U.S. military personnel in Middle East and Africa through 2031
Adelphi, Md., July 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) will continue its longstanding on-the-ground support for U.S. military learners across the Middle East, North Africa and deployed locations under a follow-on contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The agreement, which begins July 31, 2026, extends through academic year 2030–2031 and continues UMGC’s role as a global education provider for servicemembers whose missions, schedules and locations require flexible academic options. Under the contract, UMGC will continue to provide undergraduate and select graduate coursework and services — as well as management of national test centers — at 12 sites in eight countries, including Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
UMGC has held similar contracts to provide these services in the Middle East and Africa since May 2008, when the first five-year contract was awarded. At locations throughout the region, UMGC team members live and work alongside the learners they serve, providing in-person coaching, instruction, and support to servicemembers and their families as they pursue their educations while carrying out some of the nation’s most important missions.
“We often say that, at UMGC, serving the military is in our DNA,” said UMGC President Gregory W. Fowler, PhD. “This contract renewal underscores our longstanding commitment to military learners and the unique ways that our dedicated team members serve them, no matter where duty calls. Our on-site presence allows us to provide continuity of learning as they move into, through, and out of demanding assignments, and we are proud to support their academic progress with programs and services that fit the realities of military life around the world.”
Under the contract, active-duty military personnel in the region will have access to services designed to support academic progress amid deployments, relocations and nontraditional schedules.
UMGC has served military-affiliated students overseas for more than 75 years, beginning in Europe in 1949 and expanding to Asia in 1956. That tradition continues uninterrupted to this day, and the university began offering courses in the Middle East in 2005 and continues to support students in complex operating environments around the world.
Those environments have included active conflict zones, beginning with the university’s first classes in Saigon at the outset of the Vietnam War. In recent years, UMGC has served military learners downrange in both Afghanistan and Iraq, where UMGC was the first university to offer “boots on the ground” instruction at locations including Camp Victory in Baghdad.
“Students in this region balance rigorous military responsibilities and often challenging environments with the demands of academic study,” said Victor Macias, senior vice president for Global Military Operations at UMGC. “This contract allows us to continue providing responsive, learner-centered support to help servicemembers persist and succeed.”
UMGC also holds contracts to offer instruction and support services in Europe and Asia and serves stateside military learners under memoranda of understanding with installations throughout the country. This footprint allows servicemembers to continue their education as they traverse the globe, advancing the university’s historic mission to serve adult learners and the military community wherever they are.
For more information about overseas education services for the U.S. military, visit https://www.dantes.mil/oconus/.
About University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military service members. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland and continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide, and more than 100 degrees and certificates backed by the reputation of a state university and the University System of Maryland. For more information, visit https://www.umgc.edu.
Thomas Moriarty University of Maryland Global Campus 240-610-8309 media@umgc.edu
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
