by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study public health, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 379 programs that serve veteran public health students especially well, 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. To help you decide, College Factual reviewed 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 to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
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Learn more about these veteran-friendly public health colleges below:
University of Delaware tops our 2026 ranking of the best public health colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 91.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about public health at University of Delaware
A rank of #2 makes University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill one of the top public health colleges for veteran students. It scores 90.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the public health program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A rank of #3 makes Ohio State University-Main Campus one of the top public health colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 89.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about public health at Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a great choice for veterans pursuing public health, landing the #4 spot this year. It scores 89.6 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. More about the public health program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Veteran students seeking a strong public health program will find one at University of Georgia, which ranked #5. The school's overall veterans score is 89.3 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
Read more about public health at University of Georgia
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University of South Florida ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best public health colleges for veterans. University of South Florida scores 89.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full public health report for University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best public health colleges for veterans. It scores 88.8 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 public health program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing public health. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scores 88.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the public health program at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
East Carolina University landed the #9 spot for veterans pursuing public health. It scores 88.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full public health report for East Carolina University
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #10 spot for veterans pursuing public health. It scores 87.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
See the full public health report for The University of Texas at Arlington
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San Diego State University came in at #11 for veteran public health students this year. San Diego State University scores 87.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the public health program at San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #12 spot for veterans pursuing public health. It scores 87.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full public health report for University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas placed #13 among the best public health colleges for veterans. It scores 87.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full public health report for University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing public health. It scores 87.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the public health program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University placed #15 among the best public health colleges for veterans. Stony Brook University scores 87.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
Read more about public health at Stony Brook University
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California State University-Long Beach placed #16 among the best public health colleges for veterans. It scores 86.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full public health report for California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best public health colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about public health at University of Florida
Winona State University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best public health 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 66.7. More about the public health program at Winona State University
Binghamton University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best public health colleges for veterans. Binghamton University scores 85.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about public health at Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #20 spot for veterans pursuing public health. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus scores 85.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Read more about public health at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
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Western Michigan University placed #21 among the best public health colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full public health report for Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #22 for veteran public health students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about public health at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas placed #23 among the best public health colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.3 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the public health program at University of Arkansas
University of Maryland-College Park came in at #24 for veteran public health students this year. University of Maryland-College Park scores 85.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about public health at University of Maryland-College Park
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse landed the #25 spot for veterans pursuing public health. The school's overall veterans score is 85.0 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full public health report for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
These public health colleges also placed near the top this year:
Explore the rest of the top 15% below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | George Mason University | 82.15 |
| 52 | Rowan University | 82.13 |
| 53 | Southern Connecticut State University | 82.10 |
| 54 | Georgia State University | 81.98 |
| 55 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 81.93 |
| 56 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
| 57 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | Clemson University | 81.75 |
| 59 | University of Nevada-Reno | 81.70 |
| 60 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 81.57 |
| 61 | Grand Valley State University | 81.50 |
| 62 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 81.35 |
| 63 | Middle Tennessee State University | 81.24 |
| 64 | Wayne State University | 81.19 |
| 65 | University of Iowa | 81.08 |
| 66 | Columbia Southern University | 80.94 |
| 67 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | 80.92 |
| 68 | Towson University | 80.91 |
| 69 | Oakland University | 80.84 |
| 70 | University of Toledo | 80.75 |
| 71 | Belmont University | 80.68 |
| 72 | California State University-Sacramento | 80.65 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 80.63 |
| 74 | Appalachian State University | 80.49 |
| 75 | Samford University | 80.46 |
| 76 | Oregon State University | 80.46 |
*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 public health: 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
