2023 Best 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. 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 Physical Sciences for an Associate” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Physical Sciences is the 19th most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 5,145 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,669 and $22,079 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 1,109 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 Sciences for an Associate” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Southwest Region for Physical Sciences for an Associate

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Sciences for an Associate”.

Top 3 Best 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 be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Mexico - Taos Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Sciences for an Associate list. University of New Mexico - Taos Campus is located in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 associates’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UNM Taos also made our “Best Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1.Among the 1,046 students enrolled at University of New Mexico - Taos Campus, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $708. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through 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 UNM Taos]](/colleges/university-of-new-mexico-taos-campus/student-life/veterans/)

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 Sciences for an Associate list. University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus is a small school located in Los Lunas, New Mexico that handed out 22 associates’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UNM Valencia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 71 of the 1,435 students enrolled at UNM Valencia were GI Bill® students, of which 56 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $561. During this same period, 0 students received funds through 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 UNM Valencia]](/colleges/university-of-new-mexico-valencia-county-campus/student-life/veterans/)

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 be in good company if you decide to attend University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Physical Sciences for an Associate list. University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus is a small public school situated in Gallup, New Mexico. It awarded 7 associates’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

UNM Gallup also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $789. 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…

• Best 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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.