by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study geography and environmental studies, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 12 programs that stand out for veteran geography and environmental studies students, 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. So you can compare your options, 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? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Here are the top-ranked geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans:
No school served veteran geography and environmental studies students better than University of Florida this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about geography and environmental studies at University of Florida
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full geography and environmental studies report for University of Washington-Seattle Campus
The University of Alabama is a great choice for veterans pursuing geography and environmental studies, landing the #3 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 82.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about geography and environmental studies at The University of Alabama
University of California-Los Angeles is a great choice for veterans pursuing geography and environmental studies, landing the #4 spot this year. It scores 79.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about geography and environmental studies at University of California-Los Angeles
University of Colorado Boulder is a great choice for veterans pursuing geography and environmental studies, landing the #5 spot this year. University of Colorado Boulder scores 78.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
Read more about geography and environmental studies at University of Colorado Boulder
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University of Maryland-Baltimore County placed #6 among the best geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans. It scores 77.7 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 geography and environmental studies report for University of Maryland-Baltimore County
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 75.4 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the geography and environmental studies program at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus came in at #8 for veteran geography and environmental studies students this year. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus scores 74.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the geography and environmental studies program at University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
University of Oregon came in at #9 for veteran geography and environmental studies students this year. University of Oregon scores 71.7 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 geography and environmental studies program at University of Oregon
Western Washington University placed #10 among the best geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 71.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Read more about geography and environmental studies at Western Washington University
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University of Florida-Online ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans. It scores 46.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. More about the geography and environmental studies program at University of Florida-Online
Macalester College ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best geography and environmental studies colleges for veterans. It scores 45.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 41.8, alongside a 0.0 veteran-support score. More about the geography and environmental studies program at Macalester College
*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 geography and environmental studies: 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.
