by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study anthropology, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 265 programs that serve veteran anthropology 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).
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
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Learn more about these veteran-friendly anthropology colleges below:
Our analysis ranked University of Nebraska-Lincoln the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in anthropology. It scores 91.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the anthropology program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best anthropology colleges for veterans. It scores 90.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the anthropology program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A rank of #3 makes Ohio State University-Main Campus one of the top anthropology colleges for veteran students. It scores 89.9 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 anthropology program at Ohio State University-Main Campus
A rank of #4 makes James Madison University one of the top anthropology colleges for veteran students. James Madison University scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full anthropology report for James Madison University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a great choice for veterans pursuing anthropology, landing the #5 spot this year. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
More about the anthropology program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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University of Georgia placed #6 among the best anthropology colleges for veterans. It scores 89.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full anthropology report for University of Georgia
William & Mary landed the #7 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. It scores 89.2 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 anthropology program at William & Mary
University of South Florida came in at #8 for veteran anthropology students this year. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the anthropology program at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick came in at #9 for veteran anthropology students this year. 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 anthropology report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best anthropology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score.
More about the anthropology program at East Carolina University
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The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #11 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. The school's overall veterans score is 87.9 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about anthropology at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best anthropology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the anthropology program at San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #13 for veteran anthropology students this year. It scores 87.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full anthropology report for University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. 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 anthropology at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus placed #15 among the best anthropology 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.
Read more about anthropology at University of Virginia-Main Campus
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Stony Brook University landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. It scores 87.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about anthropology at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach landed the #17 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. California State University-Long Beach scores 86.7 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 anthropology at California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida placed #18 among the best anthropology colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about anthropology at University of Florida
Salt Lake Community College landed the #19 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. 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 anthropology report for Salt Lake Community College
Binghamton University came in at #20 for veteran anthropology students this year. Binghamton University scores 85.8 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 anthropology program at Binghamton University
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University of Washington-Seattle Campus placed #21 among the best anthropology colleges for veterans. University of Washington-Seattle Campus scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full anthropology report for University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best anthropology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about anthropology at University of Arkansas
University of California-Santa Cruz came in at #23 for veteran anthropology students this year. It scores 85.2 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 anthropology at University of California-Santa Cruz
University of Maryland-College Park landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing anthropology. It scores 85.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full anthropology report for University of Maryland-College Park
University of New Mexico-Main Campus ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best anthropology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about anthropology at University of New Mexico-Main Campus
These anthropology colleges also placed near the top this year:
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Georgia State University | 81.98 |
| 52 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 81.93 |
| 53 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
*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 anthropology: 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
