2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife
13
Ranked Colleges
693
Degrees Awarded
$29,700
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 2,449 people earned their degree in wildlife management, making the major the 186th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, wildlife management graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,447 and had an average of $23,043 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 693 wildlife management graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,747 and $22,549 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in wildlife management. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent wildlife management programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the wildlife management program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Wildlife Management Schools
The wildlife school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife”.
Top 13 Best Wildlife Management Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. University of Florida is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UF also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 53,372 students enrolled at University of Florida were GI Bill® students, of which 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Florida does offer 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UF]](/colleges/university-of-florida/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mississippi State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. Mississippi State, Mississippi is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s wildlife degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying wildlife list, Mississippi State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 22,986 students enrolled at Mississippi State, 1,170 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 676 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,684. 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Mississippi State University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. UT Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 59 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Knoxville 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 30,559 students enrolled at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 1,122 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 739 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,650. To help with additional expenses, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Auburn University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife. Auburn is a public institution located in Auburn, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Auburn 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 1,499 of the 30,737 students enrolled at Auburn University were GI Bill® students, of which 746 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,423. During this same period, 68 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Auburn 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 92%.
Read More…
Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife that were part of this year’s ranking, Clemson University landed the #5 spot on the list. Clemson University is a large school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 47 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
Clemson also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 922 of the 26,406 students enrolled at Clemson were GI Bill® students, of which 429 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,920. During this same period, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Clemson 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read More…
Virginia Tech ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 54 degrees to qualified ’s wildlife students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 37,024 students enrolled at Virginia Tech, 119 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 108 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,314. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Virginia Tech Veteran Student Life Report
Tennessee Technological University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife ranking. Tennessee Technological University is a medium-sized public school situated in Cookeville, Tennessee. It awarded 50 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tennessee Tech University, 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, Tennessee Technological University supports 10,177 students, and 403 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 229 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,510. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Tennessee Technological University does offer 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…
With a ranking of #8, West Virginia University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. West Virginia University is a large school located in Morgantown, West Virginia that handed out 76 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
WVU 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 26,269 students enrolled at WVU, 1,033 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 458 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,599. To help with additional expenses, 66 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full West Virginia University Veteran Student Life Report
University of Georgia ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. University of Georgia is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 52 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
UGA also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 9 of the 39,147 students enrolled at University of Georgia were GI Bill® students, of which 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,402. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 UGA Veteran Student Life Report
Murray State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. Located in Murray, Kentucky, this medium-sized public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s wildlife students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying wildlife list, Murray State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 9,449 students enrolled at Murray State University, 401 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 133 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,362. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Murray State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Murray State]](/colleges/murray-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Kentucky University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife ranking. Eastern Kentucky University is a fairly large public school situated in Richmond, Kentucky. It awarded 17 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
Eastern 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 14,465 students enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University, 869 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 469 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,031. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eastern Kentucky University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Eastern]](/colleges/eastern-kentucky-university/student-life/veterans/)
Arkansas Tech University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. This medium-sized school is located in Russellville, Arkansas, and it awarded 25 ’s wildlife degrees in 2020-2021.
ATU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 67 of the 10,829 students enrolled at ATU were GI Bill® students, of which 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,775. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. ATU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Arkansas Tech University Veteran Student Life Report
Haywood Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Wildlife list. Haywood Community College is a public institution located in Clyde, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Haywood Community College, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 59 of the 1,440 students enrolled at Haywood Community College were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,608. 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.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
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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
college factual
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