by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study registered nursing/registered nurse, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 1713 colleges that serve veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students especially well, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs 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. To help you decide, College Factual evaluated colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Want to compare schools head to head? Check out our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
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Learn more about these veteran-friendly registered nursing/registered nurse colleges below:
Leading the list is University of Delaware, our #1 registered nursing/registered nurse college for veterans. It scores 91.1 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 registered nursing/registered nurse program at University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 90.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ohio State University-Main Campus is a great choice for veterans pursuing registered nursing/registered nurse, landing the #3 spot this year. Ohio State University-Main Campus scores 89.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about registered nursing/registered nurse at Ohio State University-Main Campus
James Madison University is a great choice for veterans pursuing registered nursing/registered nurse, landing the #4 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about registered nursing/registered nurse at James Madison University
A rank of #5 makes University of Michigan-Ann Arbor one of the top registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veteran students. It scores 89.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
5
University of South Florida came in at #6 for veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about registered nursing/registered nurse at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. It scores 88.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University placed #8 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for East Carolina University
The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. It scores 87.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University landed the #10 spot for veterans pursuing registered nursing/registered nurse. It scores 87.8 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.
See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for San Diego State University
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University of Alabama at Birmingham placed #11 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. University of Alabama at Birmingham scores 87.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about registered nursing/registered nurse at University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. It scores 87.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University placed #14 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about registered nursing/registered nurse at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for California State University-Long Beach
15
University of Florida placed #16 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at University of Florida
Santa Fe College placed #17 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. It scores 86.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at Santa Fe College
Winona State University came in at #18 for veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students this year. Winona State University scores 86.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at Winona State University
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health came in at #19 for veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students this year. Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health scores 86.2 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 registered nursing/registered nurse report for Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
Salt Lake Community College came in at #20 for veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students this year. Salt Lake Community College scores 86.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for Salt Lake Community College
20
Binghamton University placed #21 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse colleges for veterans. Binghamton University scores 85.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #22 for veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Florida State College at Jacksonville came in at #23 for veteran registered nursing/registered nurse students this year. It scores 85.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at Florida State College at Jacksonville
Saddleback College landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing registered nursing/registered nurse. The school's overall veterans score is 85.5 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the registered nursing/registered nurse program at Saddleback College
Citadel Military College of South Carolina placed #25 among the best registered nursing/registered nurse 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. See the full registered nursing/registered nurse report for Citadel Military College of South Carolina
These registered nursing/registered nurse colleges also placed near the top this year:
To learn more, click any college name below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Illinois State University | 83.01 |
| 52 | Collin County Community College District | 83.01 |
| 53 | Texas State University | 83.01 |
| 54 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 82.95 |
| 55 | Broward College | 82.92 |
| 56 | Nassau Community College | 82.91 |
| 57 | Miami Dade College | 82.79 |
| 58 | National University | 82.75 |
| 59 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 82.73 |
| 60 | Tallahassee State College | 82.70 |
These registered nursing/registered nurse colleges also rank near the top for veterans this year:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | University of North Alabama | 82.65 |
| 62 | University of Mary Washington | 82.63 |
| 63 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 82.53 |
| 64 | Front Range Community College | 82.49 |
| 65 | California State University-Northridge | 82.46 |
| 66 | Florida State University | 82.43 |
| 67 | The University of Alabama | 82.38 |
| 68 | University of South Dakota | 82.17 |
| 69 | George Mason University | 82.15 |
| 70 | Rowan University | 82.13 |
| 71 | Southern Connecticut State University | 82.10 |
| 72 | Georgia State University | 81.98 |
| 73 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
| 74 | Valencia College | 81.86 |
| 75 | Southwestern College | 81.80 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
| 77 | Houston Community College | 81.75 |
| 78 | Clemson University | 81.75 |
| 79 | University of Nevada-Reno | 81.70 |
| 80 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | 81.64 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying registered nursing/registered nurse: 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.
