by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study physics, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 159 schools ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing physics, 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).
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Explore the best physics colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Explore the leading physics colleges for veterans below:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln tops our 2026 ranking of the best physics colleges for veterans. University of Nebraska-Lincoln scores 91.2 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 physics program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Veteran students seeking a strong physics program will find one at University of Delaware, which ranked #2. University of Delaware scores 91.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full physics report for University of Delaware
A rank of #3 makes University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill one of the top physics colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 90.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full physics report for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. It scores 89.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about physics at Ohio State University-Main Campus
A rank of #5 makes James Madison University one of the top physics colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Read more about physics at James Madison University
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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #6 for veteran physics students this year. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the physics program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
William & Mary landed the #7 spot for veterans pursuing physics. It scores 89.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the physics program at William & Mary
University of South Florida came in at #8 for veteran physics students this year. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full physics report for University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full physics report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University landed the #10 spot for veterans pursuing physics. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University scores 88.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Read more about physics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. It scores 87.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about physics at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about physics at San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #13 spot for veterans pursuing physics. It scores 87.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full physics report for University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about physics at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Read more about physics at University of Virginia-Main Campus
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Stony Brook University came in at #16 for veteran physics students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full physics report for Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach came in at #17 for veteran physics students this year. 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. More about the physics program at California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida placed #18 among the best physics colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 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 physics program at University of Florida
Binghamton University came in at #19 for veteran physics students this year. Binghamton University scores 85.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about physics at Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. It scores 85.6 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 physics report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
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University of Washington-Seattle Campus landed the #21 spot for veterans pursuing physics. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full physics report for University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about physics at University of Arkansas
University of California-Santa Cruz ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best physics colleges for veterans. University of California-Santa Cruz scores 85.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about physics at University of California-Santa Cruz
University of Maryland-College Park placed #24 among the best physics colleges for veterans. 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. See the full physics report for University of Maryland-College Park
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse placed #25 among the best physics colleges for veterans. It scores 85.0 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. Read more about physics at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Not far behind, these physics colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
*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 physics: 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.
