2023 Best Biological & Physical Science Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
19
Ranked Colleges
2,262
Degrees Awarded
$29,200
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Biological & Physical Science is the 38th most popular major in the country with 30,075 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, biological and physical science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,402 and had an average of $15,005 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 2,262 biological and physical science graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,993 and $14,103 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in biological and physical science. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality biological and physical science programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the biological and physical science program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region vets studying biological science.
Top 19 Best Biological & Physical Science Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #1 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
VCU 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 1 of the 29,070 students enrolled at VCU were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,085. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. VCU does offer 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 Virginia Commonwealth University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified ’s biological science students in 2020-2021.
GMU 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 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University, 2,334 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,710. In addition to receiving other benefits, 42 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 George Mason University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 20 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying biological science list, University of Virginia has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia - Main Campus, 3 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. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 full report on veteran student life at University of Virginia]](/colleges/university-of-virginia-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida International University landed the #4 spot on the list. FIU is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 533 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
FIU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 58,836 students enrolled at Florida International University, 1,079 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 606 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,771. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Florida International University does offer 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 91%.
Full Florida International University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. Middle Tennessee State University is a large school located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that handed out 37 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
Middle Tennessee State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Middle Tennessee State University supports 22,080 students, and 1,284 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 799 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,132. In addition to receiving other benefits, 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…
University of South Alabama ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. Mobile, Alabama is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological science degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
USA also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 868 of the 14,224 students enrolled at USA were GI Bill® students, of which 411 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,549. During this same period, 11 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. USA offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of South Alabama]](/colleges/university-of-south-alabama/student-life/veterans/)
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified ’s biological science students in 2020-2021.
USF Tampa 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 2,211 of the 50,626 students enrolled at USF Tampa were GI Bill® students, of which 1,241 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,943. During this same period, 13 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
Louisiana Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Ruston, Louisiana, this fairly large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified ’s biological science students in 2020-2021.
Louisiana Tech also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 11,126 students enrolled at Louisiana Tech, 29 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,493. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Louisiana Tech offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
University of Georgia landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking. University of Georgia is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 112 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying biological science list, UGA has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UGA supports 39,147 students, and 9 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,402. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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…
Northern Virginia Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. This large school is located in Annandale, Virginia, and it awarded 367 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
Northern Virginia Community College also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 52,873 students enrolled at Northern Virginia Community College, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,267. 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 Northern Virginia Community College Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #11, Florida Atlantic University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. FAU is a large school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 44 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying biological science list, FAU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 30,805 students enrolled at FAU, 708 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 397 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,153. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. FAU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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…
Tidewater Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 241 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
Tidewater Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 16,769 students enrolled at Tidewater Community College, 49 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 45 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,391. 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.
Read More…
Virginia Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking, coming in at #13. VWU is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s biological science degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at VWU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,347 students enrolled at VWU, 166 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 116 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,128. During this same period, 22 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Virginia Wesleyan University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #14, Lord Fairfax Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. Located in Middletown, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 184 diplomas to qualified ’s biological science students in 2020-2021.
Lord Fairfax Community College also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,337 students enrolled at Lord Fairfax Community College, 170 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 105 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,865. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Lord Fairfax Community College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Lord Fairfax Community College]](/colleges/lord-fairfax-community-college/student-life/veterans/)
Thomas Nelson Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. TNCC is a medium-sized school located in Hampton, Virginia that handed out 98 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at TNCC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,256 students enrolled at Thomas Nelson Community College, 803 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 501 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,215. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Thomas Nelson Community College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full TNCC Veteran Student Life Report
Virginia Western Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking. Virginia Western Community College is a medium-sized school located in Roanoke, Virginia that handed out 87 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Western Community College 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, Virginia Western Community College supports 5,738 students, and 158 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 104 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,244. 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.
Read More…
New College of Florida landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking. This small school is located in Sarasota, Florida, and it awarded 52 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
New College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, New College supports 675 students, and 17 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 10 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,862. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
With a ranking of #18, Reynolds Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological science degrees to 154 students in 2020-2021.
Reynolds Community College also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 7,759 students enrolled at Reynolds Community College, 247 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 135 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,885. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Reynolds Community College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Blue Ridge Community College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Biological Science ranking. BRCC is a small public school situated in Weyers Cave, Virginia. It awarded 28 ’s biological science degrees in 2020-2021.
BRCC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 3,462 students enrolled at BRCC, 102 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 68 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,849. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full BRCC Veteran Student Life Report
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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.
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