2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
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 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking - to help you make that decision.
After analyzing 163 schools in the Southwest Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for veterans. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include percentage of costs covered by the GI Bill®, whether or not the school has a student's veteran organization, and the school's overall quality.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
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Top Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region of the U.S.
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found Texas A&M University - College Station to be the best school for veterans in the Southwest Region in this year’s ranking. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18,160 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Among the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M College Station, 2,040 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,388 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,525. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in our veterans ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list.
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list means University of Arizona is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10,843 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
According to our most recent data, University of Arizona supports 45,601 students, and 1,914 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,561 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,490. In addition to receiving other benefits, 37 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
University of Arizona excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #3 in the Southwest Region on this year’s best for vets ranking. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 7,195 students in 2019-2020.
Of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma, 1,464 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 874 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,980. During this same period, 21 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Oklahoma does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. On top of its placing in our veterans ranking, University of Oklahoma also did well on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Arlington. The school came in at #4 in the Southwest Region on this year’s best for vets ranking. Located in Arlington, Texas, the large public school awarded 13,700 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Among the 48,072 students enrolled at UT Arlington, 2,100 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,506 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,897. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
On top of its placing in our veterans ranking, UT Arlington also did well on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Sam Houston State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for veterans in the Southwest Region . SHSU is a large public school situated in Huntsville, Texas. It awarded 5,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, SHSU supports 21,912 students, and 1,026 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 648 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,792. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
University of Houston - Downtown came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. UH Downtown is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,209 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 15,239 students enrolled at UH Downtown, 606 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 402 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,406. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 19,593 students in 2019-2020.
Among the 74,795 students enrolled at ASU - Tempe, 7,047 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6,145 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,977. On top of their other funding sources, 156 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. ASU - Tempe excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list.
University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list. UH Clear Lake is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,412 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the 9,053 students enrolled at UH Clear Lake, 509 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 399 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,240. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
UH Clear Lake excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list.
The University of Texas at Austin ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 15,121 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 1,201 of the 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin were GI Bill® students, of which 843 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,949. 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 97%. UT Austin also made our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list, coming in at #2.
With a ranking of #10, Tarleton State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list. Tarleton is located in Stephenville, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3,295 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the 14,016 students enrolled at Tarleton, 719 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 417 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,524. Tarleton does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Texas Woman’s University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, the fairly large public school awarded 3,894 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Of the 16,433 students enrolled at TWU, 507 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 315 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,604. TWU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #12. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is a fairly large public school located in Corpus Christi, Texas that handed out 2,690 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 839 of the 10,820 students enrolled at Texas A&M Corpus Christi were GI Bill® students, of which 457 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,431. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
University of Houston did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 10,715 students in 2019-2020.
Among the 47,090 students enrolled at UH, 1,380 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 935 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,578. UH 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. UH also claimed a spot on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #14. OSU is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 6,078 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Among the 24,535 students enrolled at OSU, 993 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 472 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,644. In addition to receiving other benefits, 28 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
In addition to its great veterans ranking, OSU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list.
University of North Texas came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 10,108 students in 2019-2020.
Of the 40,953 students enrolled at UNT, 1,839 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,135 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,180. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
UNT also claimed a spot on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
With a ranking of #16, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list. NAU is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7,892 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
According to our most recent data, NAU supports 29,566 students, and 1,057 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 812 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,976. On top of their other funding sources, 31 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Texas Tech University landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. This large public school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 8,767 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 1,148 of the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech 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 $8,852. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Texas Tech also claimed a spot on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Texas State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in San Marcos, Texas, the large public school handed out 9,004 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State, 2,265 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,286 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,333. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Texas State also is in the top 15% of our Best Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
University of the Incarnate Word did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #19. UIW is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,233 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 7,917 students enrolled at UIW, 1,198 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 910 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,438. On top of their other funding sources, 125 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIW does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The University of Texas at Tyler landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Tyler, Texas, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,875 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, UT Tyler supports 9,781 students, and 435 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,172. UT Tyler does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Texas Christian University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,910 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Among the 11,379 students enrolled at TCU, 510 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 433 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $21,972. To help with additional expenses, 311 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. TCU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. TCU also took the #4 spot in our Best Schools in the Southwest Region rankings.
Texas A&M University - Texarkana ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list. Texarkana, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 529 students in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, Texas A&M Texarkana supports 2,171 students, and 157 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 91 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,162. Texas A&M Texarkana does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the large private for-profit school awarded 25,539 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Among the 103,427 students enrolled at Grand Canyon University, 6,566 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4,373 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,044. On top of their other funding sources, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the large public school handed out 5,733 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Among the 22,311 students enrolled at UNM, 1,019 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 584 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,114. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a ranking of #25, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region list. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8,435 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Our most recent data shows that 733 of the 28,669 students enrolled at UT Dallas were GI Bill® students, of which 575 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,434. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. UT Dallas also claimed a spot on our Best Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Veterans ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Northeastern State University | Tahlequah, OK |
| 27 | Lamar University | Beaumont, TX |
| 28 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX |
| 29 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 30 | Texas A&M International University | Laredo, TX |
| 31 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 32 | Mid-America Christian University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 33 | MSU Texas | Wichita Falls, TX |
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| State |
|---|
| Texas |
| Oklahoma |
| New Mexico |
| Arizona |
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 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)
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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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