2023 Best Geography Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
19
Ranked Colleges
484
Degrees Awarded
$29,700
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 4,954 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 159th most popular in the United States.
Across the Southwest region, there were 484 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in geography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geography programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Geography” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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 Geography
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region vets studying geography.
Top 19 Best Geography Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station 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 5 of the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - College Station were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. 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.
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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
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 Geography list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 35 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, 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, ASU - 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 tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. In addition to receiving other benefits, 672 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 24 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying geography list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma, 12 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 $3,720. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Oklahoma 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus]](/colleges/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 45 students in 2020-2021.
Texas State 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 2,559 of the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State were GI Bill® students, of which 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,635. 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.
Full Texas State Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Arizona supports 45,601 students, and 2,131 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,478 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. During this same period, 31 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read More…
University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNM, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 22,311 students enrolled at University of New Mexico - Main Campus, 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. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of New Mexico - Main Campus offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
Texas Christian University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
TCU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 11,379 students enrolled at TCU, 520 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 405 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,096. On top of their other funding sources, 343 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 full report on veteran student life at TCU]](/colleges/texas-christian-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography ranking. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.
UTSA also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3,565 of the 34,742 students enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio were GI Bill® students, of which 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,531. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at San Antonio 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%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #9, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 5 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
OSU 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, OSU supports 24,535 students, and 1,038 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 439 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,226. During this same period, 39 students received scholarships 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full OSU Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #10, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. University of North Texas is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UNT also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of North Texas supports 40,953 students, and 2,038 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,138 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,999. 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UNT]](/colleges/university-of-north-texas/student-life/veterans/)
Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography ranking, coming in at #11. Stephen F Austin State University is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 9 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
SFASU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, SFASU supports 12,620 students, and 427 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 177 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,500. 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.
Read More…
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography ranking, coming in at #12. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech, 1,242 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 630 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,480. 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 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 53 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Austin also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,893. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UT Austin 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 97%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UT Austin]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin/student-life/veterans/)
Sam Houston State University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 20 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
SHSU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, SHSU supports 21,912 students, and 1,092 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 496 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,097. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SHSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full SHSU Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #15, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 3 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
NAU 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 29,566 students enrolled at NAU, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,378. In addition to receiving other benefits, 56 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%.
Read More…
University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography ranking, coming in at #16. UH Clear Lake is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.
UH Clear Lake 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 9,053 students enrolled at UH Clear Lake, 465 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 292 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,337. 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 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 University of Houston - Clear Lake Veteran Student Life Report
New Mexico State University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.
NMSU Main Campus also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 14,227 students enrolled at New Mexico State University - Main Campus, 620 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 285 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,880. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. New Mexico State University - Main Campus offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full NMSU Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
University of Central Oklahoma did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography ranking, coming in at #18. University of Central Oklahoma is a fairly large public school situated in Edmond, Oklahoma. It awarded 3 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying geography list, UCO has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 934 of the 14,132 students enrolled at UCO were GI Bill® students, of which 428 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,062. During this same period, 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…
Central New Mexico Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Geography list. Central New Mexico Community College is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying geography list, CNM has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 839 of the 21,398 students enrolled at Central New Mexico Community College were GI Bill® students, of which 390 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,171. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Central New Mexico Community College offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.
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