by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study criminal justice and corrections, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 802 colleges ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections, 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. 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? Check out our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Explore the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Learn more about these veteran-friendly criminal justice and corrections colleges below:
Our analysis ranked University of Georgia the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in criminal justice and corrections. It scores 89.3 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 criminal justice and corrections program at University of Georgia
Veteran students seeking a strong criminal justice and corrections program will find one at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, which ranked #2. Rutgers University-New Brunswick scores 88.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full criminal justice and corrections report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Veteran students seeking a strong criminal justice and corrections program will find one at East Carolina University, which ranked #3. 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. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at East Carolina University
Veteran students seeking a strong criminal justice and corrections program will find one at The University of Texas at Arlington, which ranked #4. It scores 87.9 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 criminal justice and corrections at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. It scores 87.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score.
More about the criminal justice and corrections program at San Diego State University
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University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #6 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections. The school's overall veterans score is 87.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the criminal justice and corrections program at University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas placed #7 among the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
California State University-Long Beach came in at #8 for veteran criminal justice and corrections students this year. It scores 86.7 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 100.0. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at California State University-Long Beach
Winona State University placed #9 among the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at Winona State University
Rutgers University-Newark landed the #10 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections. Rutgers University-Newark scores 86.1 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 and corrections report for Rutgers University-Newark
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Salt Lake Community College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. It scores 86.0 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 criminal justice and corrections report for Salt Lake Community College
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #12 for veteran criminal justice and corrections students this year. It scores 85.6 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 100.0. See the full criminal justice and corrections report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Florida State College at Jacksonville placed #13 among the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. It scores 85.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at Florida State College at Jacksonville
Citadel Military College of South Carolina placed #14 among the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. Citadel Military College of South Carolina scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full criminal justice and corrections report for Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Western Michigan University landed the #15 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Read more about criminal justice and corrections at Western Michigan University
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Franklin University placed #16 among the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the criminal justice and corrections program at Franklin University
University of Arkansas came in at #17 for veteran criminal justice and corrections students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at University of Arkansas
University of New Mexico-Main Campus landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections. The school's overall veterans score is 85.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice and corrections report for University of New Mexico-Main Campus
State University of New York at Oswego came in at #19 for veteran criminal justice and corrections students this year. It scores 84.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at State University of New York at Oswego
Rhode Island College ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
See the full criminal justice and corrections report for Rhode Island College
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Boise State University landed the #21 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections. Boise State University scores 84.7 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 criminal justice and corrections program at Boise State University
University of Central Florida landed the #22 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice and corrections. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full criminal justice and corrections report for University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #23 for veteran criminal justice and corrections students this year. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the criminal justice and corrections program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Maryland Global Campus ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice and corrections colleges for veterans. It scores 84.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice and corrections report for University of Maryland Global Campus
Iowa State University came in at #25 for veteran criminal justice and corrections students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.5 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about criminal justice and corrections at Iowa State University
Not far behind, these criminal justice and corrections colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
Click a college name to learn more:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Valencia College | 81.86 |
| 52 | Southwestern College | 81.80 |
| 53 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
| 54 | Houston Community College | 81.75 |
| 55 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 81.74 |
| 56 | Colorado State University Global | 81.67 |
| 57 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | 81.64 |
| 58 | Wake Technical Community College | 81.58 |
| 59 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 81.57 |
| 60 | Grand Valley State University | 81.50 |
These criminal justice and corrections colleges also rank near the top for veterans this year:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 81.35 |
| 62 | Middle Tennessee State University | 81.24 |
| 63 | Wayne State University | 81.19 |
| 64 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | 81.08 |
| 65 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 80.97 |
| 66 | Columbia Southern University | 80.94 |
| 67 | Oakland University | 80.84 |
| 68 | Salem State University | 80.80 |
| 69 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 80.77 |
| 70 | University of Toledo | 80.75 |
| 71 | Seminole State College of Florida | 80.71 |
| 72 | California State University-Sacramento | 80.65 |
| 73 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 80.63 |
| 74 | Ball State University | 80.63 |
| 75 | ECPI University | 80.49 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | Appalachian State University | 80.49 |
| 77 | Augusta University | 80.45 |
| 78 | Gateway Technical College | 80.44 |
| 79 | Texas Woman’s University | 80.41 |
| 80 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 80.34 |
*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 and corrections: 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
