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2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism

21 Ranked Colleges
1,758 Degrees Awarded
$29,400 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 13,552 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 69th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,953 and had an average of $23,734 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,758 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,691 and $23,007 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism” ranking looked at 21 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent journalism 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 journalism program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Journalism” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism”.

Top 21 Best Journalism Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 279 students in 2020-2021.

University of Oklahoma also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, University of Oklahoma supports 27,772 students, and 12 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 10 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,720. On top of their other funding sources, 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 87%. 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…

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 236 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying journalism list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 7,566 of the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe were GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. During this same period, 672 students qualified for 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Veteran Student Life Report

3
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Out of the 21 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 94 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].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 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism. UNT is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 299 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying journalism list, UNT has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 2,038 of the 40,953 students enrolled at University of North Texas were GI Bill® students, of which 1,138 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,999. 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 85%.

Full UNT Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Christian University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism. Texas Christian University is a fairly large school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 27 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

TCU 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 11,379 students enrolled at Texas Christian University, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,096. In addition to receiving other benefits, 343 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 92%. 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 TCU Veteran Student Life Report

6

University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 33 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

UNM also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,311 students enrolled at University of New Mexico - Main Campus 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of New Mexico - Main Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full UNM Veteran Student Life Report

7
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 84 students in 2020-2021.

UH 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 1,382 of the 47,090 students enrolled at University of Houston were GI Bill® students, of which 730 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,264. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Houston does offer 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full UH Veteran Student Life Report

8

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 181 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 50,476 students enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, 7 were 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Texas at Austin offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

Read More…

9

Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism ranking, coming in at #9. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

SMU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, SMU supports 12,373 students, and 327 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 215 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,612. On top of their other funding sources, 103 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SMU 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 90%. 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…

10

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism ranking. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, 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, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,226. To help with additional expenses, 39 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report

11

University of Central Oklahoma ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. University of Central Oklahoma is a public institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying journalism list, UCO 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 Central Oklahoma supports 14,132 students, and 934 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 428 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,062. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Central Oklahoma does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

12
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism ranking. Texas Tech is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Texas Tech also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 40,322 students enrolled at Texas Tech, 1,242 are 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Texas Tech University Veteran Student Life Report

13
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

With a ranking of #13, Texas State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Texas State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas State University supports 37,812 students, and 2,559 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,197 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,635. 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…

14

Austin Community College District ranked #14 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Austin Community College District, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 39,896 students enrolled at Austin Community College District, 2,473 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 59 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $735. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Austin Community College District offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Austin Community College District Veteran Student Life Report

15
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

With a ranking of #15, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 29,566 students enrolled at NAU, 1,055 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. In addition to receiving other benefits, 56 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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at NAU]](/colleges/northern-arizona-university/student-life/veterans/)

16

West Texas A&M University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Canyon, Texas, and it awarded 8 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

West Texas A&M University 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 446 of the 10,036 students enrolled at West Texas A&M University were GI Bill® students, of which 191 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,617. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at West Texas A&M University]](/colleges/west-texas-a-and-m-university/student-life/veterans/)

17
Angelo State crest
Angelo State University
San Angelo, Texas

With a ranking of #17, Angelo State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified ’s journalism students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Angelo State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 10,775 students enrolled at Angelo State University, 507 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,911. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Angelo State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Angelo State University]](/colleges/angelo-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

18

Baylor University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism ranking. Baylor University is located in Waco, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 77 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Baylor 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 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor University, 876 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. During this same period, 263 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 91%, 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 Baylor University Veteran Student Life Report

19

With a ranking of #19, Northeastern State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. NSU is a medium-sized school located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma that handed out 12 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

NSU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Northeastern State University supports 7,349 students, and 304 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 118 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,801. During this same period, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northeastern 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%.

Read More…

20

New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 37 ’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

NMSU Main Campus 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 620 of the 14,227 students enrolled at NMSU Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at NMSU Main Campus]](/colleges/new-mexico-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

21

With a ranking of #21, Texas Southern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Journalism list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

TSU 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, TSU supports 7,015 students, and 441 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 179 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,426. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. TSU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

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