2023 Best Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
19
Ranked Colleges
430
Degrees Awarded
$29,800
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 4,709 people earned their degree in higher education/higher education administration, making the major the 160th most popular in the United States.
Across the Southwest region, there were 430 higher education/higher education administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in higher education/higher education administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great higher education/higher education administration programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the higher education/higher education administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying higher education/higher education administration.
Top 19 Best Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying higher education/higher education administration list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7,566 of the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe were GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. In addition to receiving other benefits, 672 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying higher education/higher education administration list, UH has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,382 of the 47,090 students enrolled at UH were GI Bill® students, of which 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,264. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UH offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Houston]](/colleges/university-of-houston/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #3 spot on the list. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
UTSA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 34,742 students enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio, 3,565 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,531. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UTSA Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #4 spot on the list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying higher education/higher education administration list, University of Arizona has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,880. To help with additional expenses, 31 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Christian University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration list. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
TCU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas Christian University supports 11,379 students, and 520 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 405 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,096. During this same period, 343 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Texas Christian University]](/colleges/texas-christian-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of North Texas came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school awarded 32 degrees to qualified ’s higher education/higher education administration students in 2020-2021.
UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, UNT supports 40,953 students, and 2,038 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,138 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UNT does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Texas Tech University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees to qualified students.
Texas Tech also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech University, 1,242 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 630 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,480. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas Tech University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Texas Tech Veteran Student Life Report
Texas State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 14 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State University, 2,559 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,635. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Texas State Veteran Student Life Report
Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 43 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees in 2020-2021.
SHSU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 21,912 students enrolled at Sam Houston State University, 1,092 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 496 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,097. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full SHSU Veteran Student Life Report
University of Mary Hardin - Baylor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking. UMHB is located in Belton, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMHB, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 3,876 students enrolled at UMHB, 454 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 304 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,603. In addition to receiving other benefits, 135 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UMHB]](/colleges/university-of-mary-hardin-baylor/student-life/veterans/)
Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking. Commerce, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M Commerce also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 12,249 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - Commerce, 594 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 337 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,401. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #12, Houston Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration list. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 5 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees in 2020-2021.
HBU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 3,963 students enrolled at Houston Baptist University, 176 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 111 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,106. On top of their other funding sources, 19 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at HBU]](/colleges/houston-baptist-university/student-life/veterans/)
Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking, coming in at #13. This fairly large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 14 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, SMU supports 12,373 students, and 327 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 215 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,612. In addition to receiving other benefits, 103 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full SMU Veteran Student Life Report
Northeastern State University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration list. Located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, this medium-sized public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified ’s higher education/higher education administration students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying higher education/higher education administration list, NSU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northeastern State University supports 7,349 students, and 304 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 118 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,801. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at NSU]](/colleges/northeastern-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #15, East Texas Baptist University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration list. East Texas Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marshall, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
East Texas Baptist University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 1,714 students enrolled at East Texas Baptist University, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,987. During this same period, 5 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. East Texas Baptist University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at East Texas Baptist University]](/colleges/east-texas-baptist-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 8 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying higher education/higher education administration list, UOPX - Arizona has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 89,763 students enrolled at University of Phoenix - Arizona, 135 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 157 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,437. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full UOPX - Arizona Veteran Student Life Report
Baylor University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 14 ’s higher education/higher education administration degrees in 2020-2021.
Baylor did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 876 of the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor University were GI Bill® students, of which 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,744. During this same period, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Baylor University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Baylor University]](/colleges/baylor-university/student-life/veterans/)
Hardin - Simmons University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking, coming in at #18. Hardin - Simmons University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Abilene, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Hardin - Simmons also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Hardin - Simmons University supports 2,128 students, and 125 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 66 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,160. During this same period, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Hardin - Simmons]](/colleges/hardin-simmons-university/student-life/veterans/)
Abilene Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Abilene, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 degrees to qualified ’s higher education/higher education administration students in 2020-2021.
Abilene Christian not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 269 of the 5,291 students enrolled at Abilene Christian University were GI Bill® students, of which 160 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,303. On top of their other funding sources, 72 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Shai-WMIL.
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