2023 Best International Relations & National Security Colleges for Veterans in the Plains States Region
19
Ranked Colleges
410
Degrees Awarded
$30,600
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 14,306 people earned their degree in international relations and national security, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, international relations and national security graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $41,288 and had an average of $21,455 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 410 international relations and national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,421 and $22,849 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in international relations and national security. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent international relations and national security programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the international relations and national security program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations”.
Top 19 Best International Relations & National Security Colleges for Veterans in the Plains States Region
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, Webster University landed the #1 spot on the list. Webster University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 53 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Webster, 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, Webster University supports 8,197 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,175. 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 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 full report on veteran student life at Webster]](/colleges/webster-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 35 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 30,318 students enrolled at University of Iowa, 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 University of Iowa Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 99 degrees to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UMN Twin Cities supports 52,017 students, and 752 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 436 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,020. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #4 spot on the list. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, 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, Washington University in St Louis supports 15,449 students, and 7 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 14 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,972. During this same period, 1 students received funds 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Washington University in St Louis]](/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, Creighton University landed the #5 spot on the list. Creighton University is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Creighton, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 8,770 students enrolled at Creighton, 278 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 185 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,575. To help with additional expenses, 46 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 92%, 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%.
Read More…
Saint Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #6. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 13 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
SLU 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, Saint Louis University supports 12,229 students, and 5 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $25,162. 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.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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 Saint Louis University]](/colleges/saint-louis-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking. UMN Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Duluth, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 10,275 students enrolled at UMN Duluth, 249 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 88 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,883. 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.
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 Minnesota - Duluth Veteran Student Life Report
Lindenwood University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Charles, Missouri, and it awarded 8 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Lindenwood University 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, Lindenwood University supports 7,382 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 29 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,583. To help with additional expenses, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Lindenwood 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 full report on veteran student life at Lindenwood University]](/colleges/lindenwood-university/student-life/veterans/)
Drake University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 12 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Drake also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 4,774 students enrolled at Drake, 100 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,780. During this same period, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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…
Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #10. Saint Cloud, Minnesota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 23 students in 2020-2021.
St. Cloud State University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 11,841 students enrolled at Saint Cloud State University, 291 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 126 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,067. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%.
Full Saint Cloud State University Veteran Student Life Report
Bethel University Minnesota came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking. This small school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 5 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Bethel University Minnesota also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 3,814 students enrolled at Bethel University Minnesota, 116 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,703. During this same period, 18 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #12 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations list. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
UST MN also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 2 of the 9,792 students enrolled at UST MN 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UST MN offers credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, 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%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, Loras College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations list. Loras College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa. It awarded 8 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Loras did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 1,404 students enrolled at Loras College, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 15 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,495. During this same period, 0 students qualified for 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 Loras Veteran Student Life Report
Kansas State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Manhattan, Kansas, and it awarded 10 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
K -State 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, Kansas State University supports 20,854 students, and 1,099 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 647 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,562. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Kansas State University 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Kansas State University Veteran Student Life Report
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #15. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 13 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato 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 14,761 students enrolled at Minnesota State Mankato, 331 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 147 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,814. 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 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 full report on veteran student life at Minnesota State University - Mankato]](/colleges/minnesota-state-university-mankato/student-life/veterans/)
Bellevue University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations list. Bellevue University is located in Bellevue, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region vets studying international relations list, Bellevue University has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 13,059 students enrolled at Bellevue University were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Bellevue 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%.
Read More…
Augsburg University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Augsburg also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Augsburg University supports 3,346 students, and 71 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 40 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,851. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Augsburg University Veteran Student Life Report
Carleton College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking. This small school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 38 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Carleton 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 1,940 students enrolled at Carleton College, 18 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,697. To help with additional expenses, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read More…
Cornell College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Plains States Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and it awarded 9 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell College also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 1,002 students enrolled at Cornell College were GI Bill® students, of which 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,961. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for 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%.
Full Cornell College 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.
Credits
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