2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy
19
Ranked Colleges
1,260
Degrees Awarded
$30,800
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Southeast Region for Public Policy” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 1,260 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $50,417 and $21,515 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public policy program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region vets studying public policy.
Top 19 Best Public Policy Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 190 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 30,092 students enrolled at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1 are 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 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy. GMU is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 38,541 students enrolled at GMU, 2,334 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. During this same period, 42 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 55 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
William & Mary also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, William & Mary supports 8,939 students, and 531 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 349 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,978. In addition to receiving other benefits, 5 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. William & Mary does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kentucky. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, this large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UK 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, University of Kentucky supports 29,986 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are 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 scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 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 University of Kentucky]](/colleges/university-of-kentucky/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arkansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. UARK is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UARK 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 11 of the 27,562 students enrolled at UARK were GI Bill® students, of which 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,975. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UARK does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, 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 full report on veteran student life at UARK]](/colleges/university-of-arkansas/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #6, Virginia Tech did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 37,024 students enrolled at Virginia Tech, 119 were 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, 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…
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia, 3 are 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 funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Virginia Veteran Student Life Report
Duke University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 269 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, 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 36 of the 16,172 students enrolled at Duke University were GI Bill® students, of which 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,387. During this same period, 8 students qualified for 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Duke]](/colleges/duke-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying public policy list, UT Knoxville has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.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 received funds 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 89%. 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 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville]](/colleges/the-university-of-tennessee/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #10, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Liberty University supports 93,349 students, and 13,282 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 8,897 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. In addition to receiving other benefits, 386 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Liberty University]](/colleges/liberty-university/student-life/veterans/)
Regent University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #11. Regent is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Regent also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Regent University supports 10,483 students, and 1,414 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,139 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,203. To help with additional expenses, 42 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Regent University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Regent University]](/colleges/regent-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #12, University of Mississippi did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. Ole Miss is a large public school situated in University, Mississippi. It awarded 51 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying public policy list, Ole Miss has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Mississippi supports 21,014 students, and 46 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 22 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,346. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Mississippi does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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 full report on veteran student life at Ole Miss]](/colleges/university-of-mississippi-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
Georgia State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking. Georgia State is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia State 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 1,873 of the 36,360 students enrolled at Georgia State University were GI Bill® students, of which 662 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,934. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Georgia State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Georgia State]](/colleges/georgia-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Mercer University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #14. Macon, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
Mercer also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Mercer supports 9,006 students, and 15 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 11 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,244. To help with additional expenses, 3 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Augusta University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking. Augusta University is a medium-sized school located in Augusta, Georgia that handed out 6 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augusta University, 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 1 of the 8,920 students enrolled at Augusta University 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. 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 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 Augusta University]](/colleges/augusta-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #16, Southern University and A & M College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. Southern University and A & M College is a medium-sized public school situated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It awarded 8 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Southern University and A & M 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 313 of the 6,917 students enrolled at Southern University and A & M College were GI Bill® students, of which 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,125. 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.
Read More…
With a ranking of #17, American Public University System did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. Located in Charles Town, West Virginia, this large private for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
American Military University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, American Military University supports 50,047 students, and 18,040 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 15,422 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,793. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at American Military University]](/colleges/american-public-university-system/student-life/veterans/)
Marshall University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Huntington, West Virginia, and it awarded 6 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Marshall University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 11,958 students enrolled at Marshall University, 406 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,840. To help with additional expenses, 10 students received scholarships 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 Marshall University]](/colleges/marshall-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #19, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Policy list. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying public policy list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 13 of the 13,537 students enrolled at Vanderbilt University 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 $17,769. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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%.
Full Vanderbilt 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
college factual
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