by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study criminology, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 137 schools ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing criminology, 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).
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Our analysis ranked University of Delaware the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in criminology. The school's overall veterans score is 91.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminology at University of Delaware
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about criminology at Ohio State University-Main Campus
Veteran students seeking a strong criminology program will find one at University of South Florida, which ranked #3. University of South Florida scores 89.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminology at University of South Florida
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. It scores 88.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full criminology report for University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
San Diego State University is a great choice for veterans pursuing criminology, landing the #5 spot this year. 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.
See the full criminology report for San Diego State University
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University of Florida ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 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 criminology program at University of Florida
University of Maryland-College Park came in at #7 for veteran criminology students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full criminology report for University of Maryland-College Park
Eastern Michigan University landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing criminology. Eastern Michigan University scores 84.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full criminology report for Eastern Michigan University
Washington State University came in at #9 for veteran criminology students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.0 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full criminology report for Washington State University
Arkansas State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. Arkansas State University scores 83.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
More about the criminology program at Arkansas State University
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University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities scores 83.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminology at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Michigan-Dearborn ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. It scores 82.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminology at University of Michigan-Dearborn
The University of Alabama placed #13 among the best criminology colleges for veterans. The University of Alabama scores 82.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about criminology at The University of Alabama
University of Northern Iowa came in at #14 for veteran criminology students this year. University of Northern Iowa scores 82.2 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 criminology program at University of Northern Iowa
University of Minnesota-Duluth ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 81.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Read more about criminology at University of Minnesota-Duluth
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Georgia Southern University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. Georgia Southern University scores 81.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full criminology report for Georgia Southern University
Clemson University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 81.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the criminology program at Clemson University
University of Iowa landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing criminology. The school's overall veterans score is 81.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminology at University of Iowa
North Carolina State University at Raleigh came in at #19 for veteran criminology students this year. North Carolina State University at Raleigh scores 80.9 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 criminology at North Carolina State University at Raleigh
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus placed #20 among the best criminology colleges for veterans. University of New Hampshire-Main Campus scores 80.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
More about the criminology program at University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
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The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. The University of Texas at Dallas scores 80.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the criminology program at The University of Texas at Dallas
Mississippi State University ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminology at Mississippi State University
University at Buffalo ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. It scores 80.4 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 criminology report for University at Buffalo
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best criminology colleges for veterans. It scores 80.3 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 criminology at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia landed the #25 spot for veterans pursuing criminology. It scores 80.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 52.8, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminology at Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Not far behind, these criminology colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
*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 criminology: 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.
