by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study early childhood education and teaching, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 380 programs ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits (including GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon support), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Explore the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Explore the leading early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans below:
Leading the list is University of Delaware, our #1 early childhood education and teaching college for veterans. University of Delaware scores 91.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full early childhood education and teaching report for University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great choice for veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching, landing the #2 spot this year. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scores 90.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full early childhood education and teaching report for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A rank of #3 makes University of Georgia one of the top early childhood education and teaching colleges for veteran students. University of Georgia scores 89.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the early childhood education and teaching program at University of Georgia
Veteran students seeking a strong early childhood education and teaching program will find one at University of South Florida, which ranked #4. The school's overall veterans score is 89.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full early childhood education and teaching report for University of South Florida
A rank of #5 makes University of Wisconsin-Whitewater one of the top early childhood education and teaching colleges for veteran students. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scores 88.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
See the full early childhood education and teaching report for University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
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San Diego State University landed the #6 spot for veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching. San Diego State University scores 87.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #7 for veteran early childhood education and teaching students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the early childhood education and teaching program at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Florida ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. It scores 86.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the early childhood education and teaching program at University of Florida
Santa Fe College placed #10 among the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. It scores 86.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
See the full early childhood education and teaching report for Santa Fe College
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Winona State University came in at #11 for veteran early childhood education and teaching students this year. Winona State University scores 86.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at Winona State University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #12 spot for veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching. The school's overall veterans score is 85.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Florida State College at Jacksonville placed #13 among the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. It scores 85.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at Florida State College at Jacksonville
Western Michigan University ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
More about the early childhood education and teaching program at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
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University of Arkansas placed #16 among the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. University of Arkansas scores 85.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the early childhood education and teaching program at University of Arkansas
Rhode Island College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. Rhode Island College scores 84.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at Rhode Island College
University of Kentucky came in at #18 for veteran early childhood education and teaching students this year. University of Kentucky scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at University of Kentucky
University of Central Florida came in at #19 for veteran early childhood education and teaching students this year. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the early childhood education and teaching program at University of Central Florida
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo landed the #20 spot for veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching. It scores 84.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
More about the early childhood education and teaching program at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
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Iowa State University placed #21 among the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.5 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at Iowa State University
Eastern Michigan University placed #22 among the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the early childhood education and teaching program at Eastern Michigan University
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching. Ohio University-Main Campus scores 84.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full early childhood education and teaching report for Ohio University-Main Campus
University of Kansas landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing early childhood education and teaching. It scores 84.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about early childhood education and teaching at University of Kansas
University of Southern Indiana placed #25 among the best early childhood education and teaching colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 83.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full early childhood education and teaching report for University of Southern Indiana
These early childhood education and teaching colleges also placed near the top this year:
To learn more, click any college name below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University-Sacramento | 80.65 |
| 52 | Ball State University | 80.63 |
| 53 | Palm Beach State College | 80.59 |
| 54 | Augusta University | 80.45 |
| 55 | Gateway Technical College | 80.44 |
| 56 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | 80.39 |
| 57 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 80.34 |
These early childhood education and teaching colleges also rank near the top for veterans this year:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | California State University-Fullerton | 80.34 |
| 59 | Pima Community College | 80.23 |
| 60 | University of Illinois Chicago | 80.19 |
| 61 | Dallas College | 80.15 |
| 62 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 80.12 |
| 63 | Jacksonville State University | 80.10 |
| 64 | University of Missouri-St Louis | 80.07 |
| 65 | University of Dayton | 79.91 |
| 66 | Austin Community College District | 79.88 |
| 67 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 79.87 |
| 68 | The University of Montana | 79.58 |
| 69 | Park University | 79.58 |
| 70 | Winthrop University | 79.45 |
| 71 | Lake Washington Institute of Technology | 79.42 |
| 72 | American University | 79.35 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | 79.31 |
| 74 | CUNY Queens College | 79.22 |
| 75 | Weber State University | 79.18 |
| 76 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | 79.06 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying early childhood education and teaching: affordability and veteran financial benefits (GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
