2023 Best General Physical Sciences Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

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 Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Physical Sciences is the 144th most popular major in the country with 3,823 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,561 and had an average of $12,761 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 927 general physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,467 and $15,093 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 862 general physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,810 and $18,681 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general physical sciences programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general physical sciences program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Physical Sciences Schools

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 Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region associate degree vets studying physical science.

Top 3 Best General Physical Sciences Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

University of New Mexico - Taos Campus
Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico

32 GI Bill® Students**

#1 in overall quality

$708 Average GI Bill® Award

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Mexico - Taos Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate. University of New Mexico - Taos Campus is a small public school situated in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. It awarded 28 associates’s physical science degrees in 2020-2021.

UNM Taos also made our “Best General Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1.Among the 1,046 students enrolled at UNM Taos, 32 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 21 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $708. 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 UNM Taos Veteran Student Life Report

2

University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus
Los Lunas, New Mexico

71 GI Bill® Students**

#3 in overall quality

$561 Average GI Bill® Award

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate list. UNM Valencia is a small school located in Los Lunas, New Mexico that handed out 22 associates’s physical science degrees in 2020-2021.

UNM Valencia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 1,435 students enrolled at University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus, 71 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 56 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $561. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full UNM Valencia Veteran Student Life Report

3

University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus
Gallup, New Mexico

86 GI Bill® Students**

#2 in overall quality

$789 Average GI Bill® Award

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Science for an Associate. Located in Gallup, New Mexico, this small public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified associates’s physical science students in 2020-2021.

UNM Gallup not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 2,174 students enrolled at UNM Gallup, 86 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $789. 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…

• Best General Physical Sciences Associate Degree Colleges for Veterans

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

Footnotes

• *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.