by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study astronomy, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 15 programs that stand out for veteran astronomy 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. So you can compare your options, 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.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Here are the top-ranked astronomy colleges for veterans:
Our analysis ranked Ohio State University-Main Campus the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in astronomy. It scores 89.9 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 astronomy report for Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a great choice for veterans pursuing astronomy, landing the #2 spot this year. 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 astronomy program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Virginia-Main Campus came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best astronomy colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the astronomy program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
University of Florida is a great choice for veterans pursuing astronomy, landing the #4 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full astronomy report for University of Florida
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best astronomy 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, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
More about the astronomy program at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
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University of Maryland-College Park came in at #6 for veteran astronomy students this year. It scores 85.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the astronomy program at University of Maryland-College Park
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #7 for veteran astronomy students this year. It scores 78.6 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 66.7. See the full astronomy report for University of Colorado Boulder
University of Arizona landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy. The school's overall veterans score is 78.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about astronomy at University of Arizona
University of Massachusetts-Amherst landed the #9 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy. It scores 77.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-support score. See the full astronomy report for University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Indiana University-Bloomington came in at #10 for veteran astronomy students this year. Indiana University-Bloomington scores 77.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Read more about astronomy at Indiana University-Bloomington
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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #11 for veteran astronomy students this year. The University of Texas at Austin scores 76.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the astronomy program at The University of Texas at Austin
Cornell University came in at #12 for veteran astronomy students this year. It scores 75.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 41.1, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full astronomy report for Cornell University
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed the #13 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy. The school's overall veterans score is 75.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the astronomy program at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Boston University landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy. The school's overall veterans score is 71.4 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 41.6, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the astronomy program at Boston University
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #15 for veteran astronomy students this year. It scores 60.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 39.3, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full astronomy report for Columbia University in the City of New York
*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 astronomy: 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.
