by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study public administration, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 190 schools that serve veteran public administration students especially well, 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 evaluated 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 public administration colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Here are the top-ranked public administration colleges for veterans:
No school served veteran public administration students better than University of Delaware this year. 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. More about the public administration program at University of Delaware
Veteran students seeking a strong public administration program will find one at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which ranked #2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scores 90.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full public administration report for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ohio State University-Main Campus is a great choice for veterans pursuing public administration, landing the #3 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about public administration at Ohio State University-Main Campus
Veteran students seeking a strong public administration program will find one at James Madison University, which ranked #4. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full public administration report for James Madison University
University of Georgia came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best public administration colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Read more about public administration at University of Georgia
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University of South Florida landed the #6 spot for veterans pursuing public administration. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the public administration program at University of South Florida
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best public administration colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the public administration program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The University of Texas at Arlington placed #8 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. 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. More about the public administration program at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University placed #9 among the best public administration 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 public administration program at San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham placed #10 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
More about the public administration program at University of Alabama at Birmingham
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University of Nevada-Las Vegas came in at #11 for veteran public administration students this year. 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 public administration at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
California State University-Long Beach came in at #12 for veteran public administration students this year. It scores 86.7 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 public administration report for California State University-Long Beach
Rutgers University-Newark placed #13 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. Rutgers University-Newark scores 86.1 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 public administration program at Rutgers University-Newark
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing public administration. It scores 85.6 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. Read more about public administration at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University came in at #15 for veteran public administration students this year. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 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 public administration program at Western Michigan University
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University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best public administration colleges for veterans. 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 66.7. Read more about public administration at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best public administration colleges for veterans. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse scores 85.0 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. Read more about public administration at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Rhode Island College placed #18 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. It scores 84.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the public administration program at Rhode Island College
Texas Tech University placed #19 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. Texas Tech University scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about public administration at Texas Tech University
University of Kentucky came in at #20 for veteran public administration students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score.
Read more about public administration at University of Kentucky
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Boise State University placed #21 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. Boise State University scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the public administration program at Boise State University
University of Central Florida placed #22 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about public administration at University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #23 for veteran public administration students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full public administration report for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Maryland Global Campus came in at #24 for veteran public administration 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 public administration report for University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Connecticut placed #25 among the best public administration colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the public administration program at University of Connecticut
Not far behind, these public administration 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 public administration: 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.
