by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study systems engineering, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 45 schools that stand out for veteran systems engineering students, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on 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 systems engineering colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Here are the top-ranked systems engineering colleges for veterans:
Leading the list is Missouri University of Science and Technology, our #1 systems engineering college for veterans. Missouri University of Science and Technology scores 91.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full systems engineering report for Missouri University of Science and Technology
A rank of #2 makes University of Michigan-Ann Arbor one of the top systems engineering colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the systems engineering program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a great choice for veterans pursuing systems engineering, landing the #3 spot this year. It scores 88.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
A rank of #4 makes University of Virginia-Main Campus one of the top systems engineering colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 87.5 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the systems engineering program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
A rank of #5 makes University of Florida one of the top systems engineering colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full systems engineering report for University of Florida
Texas Tech University placed #6 among the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full systems engineering report for Texas Tech University
University of Central Florida placed #7 among the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. University of Central Florida scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about systems engineering at University of Central Florida
Colorado School of Mines ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.0 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about systems engineering at Colorado School of Mines
Portland State University came in at #9 for veteran systems engineering students this year. Portland State University scores 83.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full systems engineering report for Portland State University
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 83.0 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. It scores 82.7 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 systems engineering report for University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of Michigan-Dearborn placed #12 among the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. University of Michigan-Dearborn scores 82.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full systems engineering report for University of Michigan-Dearborn
Florida State University placed #13 among the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. It scores 82.4 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 systems engineering at Florida State University
George Mason University came in at #14 for veteran systems engineering students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 82.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the systems engineering program at George Mason University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide came in at #15 for veteran systems engineering students this year. It scores 81.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide
The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.9 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full systems engineering report for The University of Texas at Dallas
George Washington University came in at #17 for veteran systems engineering students this year. It scores 79.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 41.7, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at George Washington University
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing systems engineering. The school's overall veterans score is 78.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
University of Arizona came in at #19 for veteran systems engineering students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 78.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at University of Arizona
Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #20 spot for veterans pursuing systems engineering. It scores 77.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 45.1, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the systems engineering program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Colorado State University-Fort Collins came in at #21 for veteran systems engineering students this year. It scores 76.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about systems engineering at Colorado State University-Fort Collins
New Jersey Institute of Technology ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 76.3 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full systems engineering report for New Jersey Institute of Technology
Arizona State University Campus Immersion landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing systems engineering. It scores 76.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about systems engineering at Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Loyola Marymount University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best systems engineering colleges for veterans. It scores 76.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 46.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the systems engineering program at Loyola Marymount University
Washington University in St Louis landed the #25 spot for veterans pursuing systems engineering. The school's overall veterans score is 75.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 43.1, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the systems engineering program at Washington University in St Louis
Not far behind, these systems engineering colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying systems 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
