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2023 Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

10 Ranked Colleges
1,086 Degrees Awarded
$25,000 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master's

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 266,651 registered nursing students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country.

Across the Southwest region, there were 33,529 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in registered nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent registered nursing programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

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

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree vets studying registered nursing.

Top 10 Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 36 diplomas to qualified masters’s registered nursing students in 2020-2021.

ASU - Tempe also took the #3 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Arizona State University - Tempe supports 74,795 students, and 7,566 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 are 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 received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Arizona State University - Tempe offers 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Veteran Student Life Report

2
Grand Canyon University crest
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, this large private for-profit school handed out 660 diplomas to qualified masters’s registered nursing students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grand Canyon University, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 103,427 students enrolled at Grand Canyon University, 7,172 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4,951 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,970. During this same period, 5 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Grand Canyon University offers 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%.

Full Grand Canyon University Veteran Student Life Report

3
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 197 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were 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.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s. UNM is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 masters’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

UNM also took the #5 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of New Mexico - Main Campus supports 22,311 students, and 1 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. University of New Mexico - Main Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report

5
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Arizona University landed the #5 spot on the list. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

NAU also made our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4.Of the 29,566 students enrolled at NAU, 1,055 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 622 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school 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 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 NAU Veteran Student Life Report

6

Houston Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 64 masters’s registered nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying registered nursing list, HBU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, HBU supports 3,963 students, and 176 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 111 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,106. To help with additional expenses, 19 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 HBU]](/colleges/houston-baptist-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

West Texas A&M University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s ranking. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

West Texas A&M University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 10,036 students enrolled at West Texas A&M University, 446 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 191 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,617. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. West Texas A&M University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

8

With a ranking of #8, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s list. University of Central Oklahoma is a fairly large public school situated in Edmond, Oklahoma. It awarded 7 masters’s registered nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

UCO also took the #10 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 934 of the 14,132 students enrolled at University of Central Oklahoma were GI Bill® students, of which 428 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,062. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Central Oklahoma does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full University of Central Oklahoma Veteran Student Life Report

9

With a ranking of #9, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s list. This small school is located in Portales, New Mexico, and it awarded 17 masters’s registered nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

ENMU - Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 5,266 students enrolled at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus, 199 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 99 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,131. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

10

Southwestern Oklahoma State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Registered Nursing for a Master’s list. Southwestern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Weatherford, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SWOSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Registered Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 4,898 students enrolled at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 7 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,832. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Southwestern Oklahoma State University Veteran Student Life Report

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Notes and References

References

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