by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study criminal justice/safety studies, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 422 programs that serve veteran criminal justice/safety studies students especially well, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking 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 analyzed 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 criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans:
Leading the list is Rutgers University-New Brunswick, our #1 criminal justice/safety studies college for veterans. Rutgers University-New Brunswick scores 88.8 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 criminal justice/safety studies report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University is a great choice for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies, landing the #2 spot this year. It scores 88.2 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 criminal justice/safety studies report for East Carolina University
A rank of #3 makes The University of Texas at Arlington one of the top criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 87.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies program at The University of Texas at Arlington
Veteran students seeking a strong criminal justice/safety studies program will find one at San Diego State University, which ranked #4. It scores 87.8 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 criminal justice/safety studies program at San Diego State University
Veteran students seeking a strong criminal justice/safety studies program will find one at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, which ranked #5. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score.
Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
5
California State University-Long Beach came in at #6 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for California State University-Long Beach
Winona State University came in at #7 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. It scores 86.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at Winona State University
Rutgers University-Newark came in at #8 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at Rutgers University-Newark
Salt Lake Community College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. Salt Lake Community College scores 86.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for Salt Lake Community College
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
10
Western Michigan University came in at #11 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at Western Michigan University
University of Arkansas ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. It scores 85.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies program at University of Arkansas
State University of New York at Oswego placed #13 among the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. State University of New York at Oswego scores 84.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at State University of New York at Oswego
Rhode Island College landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies. The school's overall veterans score is 84.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies program at Rhode Island College
Boise State University placed #15 among the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at Boise State University
15
University of Central Florida came in at #16 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee placed #17 among the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the criminal justice/safety studies program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Maryland Global Campus came in at #18 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for University of Maryland Global Campus
Iowa State University placed #19 among the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. It scores 84.5 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 criminal justice/safety studies at Iowa State University
Ohio University-Main Campus ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. Ohio University-Main Campus scores 84.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score.
See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for Ohio University-Main Campus
20
University of Southern Indiana placed #21 among the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. University of Southern Indiana scores 83.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at University of Southern Indiana
Portland State University placed #22 among the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. Portland State University scores 83.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full criminal justice/safety studies report for Portland State University
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies. University of Nebraska at Omaha scores 83.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Rutgers University-Camden ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies colleges for veterans. It scores 83.3 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 criminal justice/safety studies report for Rutgers University-Camden
Texas State University came in at #25 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies students this year. Texas State University scores 83.0 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. More about the criminal justice/safety studies program at Texas State University
Not far behind, these criminal justice/safety studies colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
Click a college name to learn more:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University-Fullerton | 80.34 |
| 52 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 80.34 |
| 53 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 80.30 |
| 54 | Sonoma State University | 80.28 |
| 55 | Pima Community College | 80.23 |
| 56 | University of Illinois Chicago | 80.19 |
| 57 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 80.16 |
| 58 | Dallas College | 80.15 |
| 59 | Jacksonville State University | 80.10 |
| 60 | Mesa Community College | 80.06 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | University of Dayton | 79.91 |
| 62 | Eastern Kentucky University | 79.91 |
| 63 | University of Southern Mississippi | 79.54 |
| 64 | Sacred Heart University | 79.39 |
| 65 | American University | 79.35 |
| 66 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | 79.31 |
| 67 | George Washington University | 79.23 |
| 68 | Weber State University | 79.18 |
| 69 | Fitchburg State University | 79.04 |
| 70 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | 79.04 |
| 71 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | 78.91 |
| 72 | Albany State University | 78.86 |
| 73 | University of North Florida | 78.85 |
| 74 | Longwood University | 78.84 |
| 75 | Molloy University | 78.62 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | South Texas College | 78.57 |
| 77 | University of Wyoming | 78.40 |
| 78 | Southeastern Louisiana University | 78.26 |
| 79 | San Francisco State University | 78.23 |
| 80 | Tarrant County College District | 78.22 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying criminal justice/safety 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.
