by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study mechanical engineering. at the Bachelor’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 318 programs that serve veteran mechanical engineering. students especially well, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits (including GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon support), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ready to build your own comparison? Try our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Explore the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Here are the top-ranked mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans:
Leading the list is University of Nebraska-Lincoln, our #1 mechanical engineering. college for veterans. It scores 91.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the mechanical engineering. program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. Missouri University of Science and Technology scores 91.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full mechanical engineering. report for Missouri University of Science and Technology
Veteran students seeking a strong mechanical engineering. program will find one at University of Delaware, which ranked #3. The school's overall veterans score is 91.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the mechanical engineering. program at University of Delaware
A rank of #4 makes Ohio State University-Main Campus one of the top mechanical engineering. colleges for veteran students. It scores 89.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the mechanical engineering. program at Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a great choice for veterans pursuing mechanical engineering., landing the #5 spot this year. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about mechanical engineering. at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Georgia ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. University of Georgia scores 89.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full mechanical engineering. report for University of Georgia
University of South Florida placed #7 among the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. University of South Florida scores 89.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the mechanical engineering. program at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick came in at #8 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 88.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full mechanical engineering. report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University placed #9 among the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. It scores 88.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the mechanical engineering. program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #10 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full mechanical engineering. report for The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full mechanical engineering. report for San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. It scores 87.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about mechanical engineering. at University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas came in at #13 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about mechanical engineering. at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus came in at #14 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. University of Virginia-Main Campus scores 87.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full mechanical engineering. report for University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University came in at #15 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about mechanical engineering. at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing mechanical engineering.. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the mechanical engineering. program at California State University-Long Beach
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology placed #17 among the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. It scores 86.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full mechanical engineering. report for South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
University of Florida landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing mechanical engineering.. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the mechanical engineering. program at University of Florida
Binghamton University came in at #19 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. It scores 85.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full mechanical engineering. report for Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about mechanical engineering. at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Citadel Military College of South Carolina placed #21 among the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full mechanical engineering. report for Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Western Michigan University placed #22 among the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the mechanical engineering. program at Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing mechanical engineering.. University of Washington-Seattle Campus scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the mechanical engineering. program at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas came in at #24 for veteran mechanical engineering. students this year. It scores 85.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the mechanical engineering. program at University of Arkansas
University of Alabama in Huntsville placed #25 among the best mechanical engineering. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about mechanical engineering. at University of Alabama in Huntsville
Not far behind, these mechanical engineering. colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Florida State University | 82.43 |
| 52 | The University of Alabama | 82.38 |
| 53 | George Mason University | 82.15 |
| 54 | Rowan University | 82.13 |
| 55 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 81.93 |
| 56 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
| 57 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
| 58 | Clemson University | 81.75 |
| 59 | University of Nevada-Reno | 81.70 |
| 60 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 81.57 |
| 61 | Grand Valley State University | 81.50 |
| 62 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 81.35 |
| 63 | Wayne State University | 81.19 |
| 64 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | 81.08 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying mechanical engineering.: affordability and veteran financial benefits (GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon), academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
