by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study history, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 380 colleges that stand out for veteran history students, 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? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
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Learn more about these veteran-friendly history colleges below:
Leading the list is University of Nebraska-Lincoln, our #1 history college for veterans. It scores 91.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the history program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Veteran students seeking a strong history program will find one at University of Delaware, which ranked #2. The school's overall veterans score is 91.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full history report for University of Delaware
Veteran students seeking a strong history program will find one at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which ranked #3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scores 90.4 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. Read more about history at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Veteran students seeking a strong history program will find one at Ohio State University-Main Campus, which ranked #4. It scores 89.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full history report for Ohio State University-Main Campus
Veteran students seeking a strong history program will find one at James Madison University, which ranked #5. James Madison University scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Read more about history at James Madison University
5
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the history program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Georgia came in at #7 for veteran history students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about history at University of Georgia
William & Mary came in at #8 for veteran history students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full history report for William & Mary
University of South Florida landed the #9 spot for veterans pursuing history. It scores 89.0 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 history program at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Read more about history at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater landed the #11 spot for veterans pursuing history. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scores 88.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the history program at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
East Carolina University landed the #12 spot for veterans pursuing history. East Carolina University scores 88.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full history report for East Carolina University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University landed the #13 spot for veterans pursuing history. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University scores 88.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the history program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The University of Texas at Arlington placed #14 among the best history colleges for veterans. The University of Texas at Arlington scores 87.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the history program at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Read more about history at San Diego State University
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University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing history. University of Alabama at Birmingham scores 87.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full history report for University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas came in at #17 for veteran history students this year. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full history report for University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus came in at #18 for veteran history students this year. It scores 87.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full history report for University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University placed #19 among the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the history program at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach landed the #20 spot for veterans pursuing history. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Read more about history at California State University-Long Beach
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University of Florida placed #21 among the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the history program at University of Florida
Rutgers University-Newark came in at #22 for veteran history students this year. Rutgers University-Newark scores 86.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the history program at Rutgers University-Newark
Binghamton University ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. Binghamton University scores 85.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full history report for Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing history. 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, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the history program at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Citadel Military College of South Carolina ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 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 history program at Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Not far behind, these history colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
Explore the rest of the top 15% below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Texas State University | 83.01 |
| 52 | Illinois State University | 83.01 |
| 53 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 82.95 |
| 54 | National University | 82.75 |
| 55 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 82.73 |
| 56 | University of North Alabama | 82.65 |
| 57 | University of Mary Washington | 82.63 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 82.53 |
| 59 | California State University-Northridge | 82.46 |
| 60 | Florida State University | 82.43 |
| 61 | The University of Alabama | 82.38 |
| 62 | University of Northern Iowa | 82.23 |
| 63 | George Mason University | 82.15 |
| 64 | Rowan University | 82.13 |
| 65 | Southern Connecticut State University | 82.10 |
| 66 | Georgia State University | 81.98 |
| 67 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 81.93 |
| 68 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
| 69 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
| 70 | Clemson University | 81.75 |
| 71 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 81.74 |
| 72 | University of Nevada-Reno | 81.70 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 81.57 |
| 74 | Grand Valley State University | 81.50 |
| 75 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 81.35 |
| 76 | Middle Tennessee State University | 81.24 |
*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 history: 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
