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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s

16 Ranked Colleges
2,205 Degrees Awarded
$25,300 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 366,996 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across the Southwest region, there were 27,220 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,205 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,112 and $26,227 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal studies.

Top 16 Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 178 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma also took the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 12 of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,720. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Oklahoma Veteran Student Life Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 83 students in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Arizona State University - Tempe supports 74,795 students, and 7,566 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,068. In addition to receiving other benefits, 672 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 86%. 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 More…

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of St. Thomas. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s. Houston, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal studies list, UST has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 91 of the 3,692 students enrolled at University of St. Thomas were GI Bill® students, of which 53 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,734. During this same period, 21 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%.

Full UST Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school awarded 213 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.

UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 22,311 students enrolled at UNM, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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 UNM Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A & M University - Central Texas landed the #5 spot on the list. Killeen, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12.Of the 2,339 students enrolled at Texas A & M University - Central Texas, 1,101 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 516 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,003. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Texas A & M University - Central Texas does offer 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%.

Full Texas A & M University - Central Texas Veteran Student Life Report

6

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. OSU is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 40 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.

OSU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 24,535 students enrolled at OSU, 1,038 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,226. To help with additional expenses, 39 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. OSU offers credit for military training for eligible 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%. 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 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus]](/colleges/oklahoma-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

7

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 132 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal studies list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 50,476 students enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, 7 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,893. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 More…

8
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 498 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 29,566 students enrolled at Northern Arizona University, 1,055 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. During this same period, 56 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northern Arizona University offers credit for military training for eligible 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%.

Full Northern Arizona University Veteran Student Life Report

9

With a ranking of #9, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school awarded 146 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.

NMSU Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 620 of the 14,227 students enrolled at NMSU Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 285 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,880. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full NMSU Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report

10

Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Commerce, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M Commerce also took the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas A&M Commerce supports 12,249 students, and 594 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 337 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,401. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Texas A&M Commerce Veteran Student Life Report

11
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 75 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, UH supports 47,090 students, and 1,382 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 730 are 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. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UH Veteran Student Life Report

12

Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Portales, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

ENMU - Main Campus also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #11.Among the 5,266 students enrolled at ENMU - Main Campus, 199 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 99 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,131. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report

13

Sam Houston State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Sam Houston State University is a public institution located in Huntsville, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SHSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14.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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,097. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

14

Concordia University, Texas landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Lakeway, Texas, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal studies list, Concordia University, Texas has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 2,257 students enrolled at Concordia University, Texas, 201 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 138 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,676. In addition to receiving other benefits, 22 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

15
St. John's crest
St. John's College
Santa Fe, New Mexico

St. John’s College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.

St. John’s also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 355 students enrolled at St. John’s College, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,148. During this same period, 6 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full St. John’s Veteran Student Life Report

16
New Mexico Highlands University crest
New Mexico Highlands University
Las Vegas, New Mexico

New Mexico Highlands University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. New Mexico Highlands University is a public institution located in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

New Mexico Highlands University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 2,777 students enrolled at New Mexico Highlands University, 83 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,407. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. New Mexico Highlands University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at New Mexico Highlands University]](/colleges/new-mexico-highlands-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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