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2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development

487 Ranked Colleges
32,920 Degrees Awarded
$32,100 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly for Child development

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. 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 for Child development” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 32,920 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Child development” ranking looked at 487 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great early childhood education programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the early childhood education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly for Child development” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly for Child development

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly for Child development”.

Top 25 Best Early Childhood Education Colleges for Veterans

1

Out of the 487 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign supports 52,679 students, and 10 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 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 94%, 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 UIUC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)

2
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Out of the 487 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #2 spot on the list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UF 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 53,372 students enrolled at UF, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UF offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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 UF]](/colleges/university-of-florida/student-life/veterans/)

3
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kentucky. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development. University of Kentucky is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our vets studying child development list, UK 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 29,986 students enrolled at University of Kentucky 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 received funds through 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 86%, 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 Kentucky Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 487 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 66 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our vets studying child development list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 74,795 students enrolled at ASU - Tempe, 7,566 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,068. To help with additional expenses, 672 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. ASU - Tempe does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read More…

5
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 23 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Purdue also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 46,655 students enrolled at Purdue University - Main Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,765. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Purdue University - Main Campus offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read More…

6

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 115 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill 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 30,092 students enrolled at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 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 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 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UNC Chapel Hill]](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/student-life/veterans/)

7

University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking, coming in at #7. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

UH Manoa 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 18,025 students enrolled at University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $22,153. 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 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 UH Manoa Veteran Student Life Report

8

University of Dayton landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Dayton, Ohio. It awarded 71 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UDayton 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 11,650 students enrolled at University of Dayton, 197 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 142 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,930. To help with additional expenses, 40 students received scholarships 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Dayton Veteran Student Life Report

9
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

Auburn University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. Auburn University is a large school located in Auburn, Alabama that handed out 61 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our vets studying child development list, Auburn has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Auburn University supports 30,737 students, and 1,499 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 746 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,423. To help with additional expenses, 68 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Auburn University Veteran Student Life Report

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, 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 12 of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,720. To help with additional expenses, 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%. 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 full report on veteran student life at University of Oklahoma]](/colleges/university-of-oklahoma-norman-campus/student-life/veterans/)

11
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Child development list. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 26,744 students enrolled at KU, 70 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 40 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,917. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. KU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, 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%.

Read More…

12
Fordham U crest
Fordham University
Bronx, New York

Fordham University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. Fordham University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 12 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

Fordham U 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 of the 16,364 students enrolled at Fordham 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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Fordham University Veteran Student Life Report

13

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Child development list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 33 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 52,017 students enrolled at UMN Twin Cities, 752 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 436 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,020. 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.

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%.

Read More…

14

University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 14 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our vets studying child development list, Mizzou has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 31,089 students enrolled at University of Missouri - Columbia were GI Bill® students, of which 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,384. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through 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 89%. 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 Mizzou]](/colleges/university-of-missouri-columbia/student-life/veterans/)

15

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 116 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle 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 1,283 of the 48,149 students enrolled at University of Washington - Seattle Campus were GI Bill® students, of which 769 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,190. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full UW Seattle Veteran Student Life Report

15

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 56 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 31,142 students enrolled at UNLV, 1,594 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 929 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,370. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

17
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking, coming in at #17. University of North Dakota is a public institution located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, 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, UND supports 13,615 students, and 796 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 395 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,112. 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.

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 North Dakota Veteran Student Life Report

18
TROY crest
Troy University
Troy, Alabama

With a ranking of #18, Troy University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development list. Located in Troy, Alabama, this fairly large public school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

TROY also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, TROY supports 16,497 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,250. 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.

Full TROY Veteran Student Life Report

19

Miami University - Oxford landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. Miami University - Oxford is located in Oxford, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our vets studying child development list, Miami University - Oxford has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Miami University - Oxford supports 18,880 students, and 405 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 259 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,877. During this same period, 6 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Miami University - Oxford 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 88%.

Full Miami University - Oxford Veteran Student Life Report

20

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 11 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our vets studying child development list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 43,064 students enrolled at Indiana University - Bloomington, 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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 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 IU Bloomington]](/colleges/indiana-university-bloomington/student-life/veterans/)

21

University of Northern Iowa ranked #21 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Child development list. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 33 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UNI 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 251 of the 9,507 students enrolled at University of Northern Iowa were GI Bill® students, of which 99 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,033. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Northern Iowa offers 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. 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 University of Northern Iowa Veteran Student Life Report

22

Iowa State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Iowa State 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 31,822 students enrolled at Iowa State University, 814 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 388 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,933. To help with additional expenses, 9 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 89%, 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%.

Full Iowa State Veteran Student Life Report

23

University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. University of Alabama at Birmingham is located in Birmingham, Alabama and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UAB also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 22,563 students enrolled at University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1,194 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 508 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,983. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 University of Alabama at Birmingham Veteran Student Life Report

24

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 16 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

USF Tampa also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 50,626 students enrolled at University of South Florida - Main Campus, 2,211 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,241 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,943. In addition to receiving other benefits, 13 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 92%, 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 South Florida - Main Campus]](/colleges/university-of-south-florida-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

25
Xavier crest
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio

Xavier University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Child development ranking. Xavier is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Xavier also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 7,061 students enrolled at Xavier University, 249 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 184 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,316. In addition to receiving other benefits, 75 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%. 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…

Rest of the Best 50 in Most Veteran Friendly for Child development

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
Eastern Michigan crest
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan
29
Pace University crest
Pace University - New York
New York, New York
30
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York
31
32
33
WCUPA crest
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
34
35
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia
36
Winthrop crest
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, South Carolina
37
38
Louisiana Tech crest
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, Louisiana
39
40
41
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
42
43
44
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
45
Middle Tennessee State University crest
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
46
47
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
48
Calvin crest
Calvin University
Grand Rapids, Michigan
49
50

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Most Veteran Friendly for Child development

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of Colorado at Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO
52Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
53Towson UniversityTowson, MD
54University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnati, OH
55University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
56National UniversityLa Jolla, CA
57Loyola University ChicagoChicago, IL
58Brandman UniversityIrvine, CA
59Baldwin Wallace UniversityBerea, OH
60Georgia Military CollegeMilledgeville, GA
61Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TN
62Messiah UniversityMechanicsburg, PA
63Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, IL
64Queens CollegeQueens, NY
65Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
RankCollegeLocation
66Clemson UniversityClemson, SC
67Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
68Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN
69University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL
70University of GeorgiaAthens, GA
71University of South AlabamaMobile, AL
71The College of New JerseyEwing, NJ
73San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
74William Paterson University of New JerseyWayne, NJ

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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