by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study history at the Master’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 91 colleges that serve veteran history students especially well, 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. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed 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 tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Explore the best history colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Here are the top-ranked history colleges for veterans:
Our analysis ranked William & Mary the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in history. It scores 89.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the history program at William & Mary
The University of Texas at Arlington is a great choice for veterans pursuing history, landing the #2 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about history at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University is a great choice for veterans pursuing history, landing the #3 spot this year. San Diego State University scores 87.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full history report for San Diego State University
University of Virginia-Main Campus came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.5 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the history program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
California State University-Long Beach is a great choice for veterans pursuing history, landing the #5 spot this year. It scores 86.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full history report for California State University-Long Beach
Rutgers University-Newark came in at #6 for veteran history students this year. It scores 86.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the history program at Rutgers University-Newark
University of Maryland-College Park ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. It scores 85.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full history report for University of Maryland-College Park
University of New Mexico-Main Campus ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. It scores 85.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the history program at University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Texas Tech University placed #9 among the best history colleges for veterans. Texas Tech University scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full history report for Texas Tech University
Southern New Hampshire University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 83.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about history at Southern New Hampshire University
Rutgers University-Camden placed #11 among the best history colleges for veterans. Rutgers University-Camden scores 83.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full history report for Rutgers University-Camden
Illinois State University placed #12 among the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 83.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the history program at Illinois State University
Texas State University placed #13 among the best history colleges for veterans. It scores 83.0 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 history at Texas State University
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #14 for veteran history students this year. It scores 82.7 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 history program at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Alabama ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 82.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the history program at University of North Alabama
California State University-Northridge placed #16 among the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 82.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the history program at California State University-Northridge
The University of Alabama placed #17 among the best history colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 82.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full history report for The University of Alabama
George Mason University landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing history. George Mason University scores 82.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the history program at George Mason University
Southern Connecticut State University came in at #19 for veteran history students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 82.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about history at Southern Connecticut State University
Clemson University came in at #20 for veteran history students this year. Clemson University scores 81.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full history report for Clemson University
Middle Tennessee State University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best history colleges for veterans. It scores 81.2 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. See the full history report for Middle Tennessee State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs came in at #22 for veteran history students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 81.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about history at University of Colorado Colorado Springs
North Carolina State University at Raleigh landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing history. It scores 80.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the history program at North Carolina State University at Raleigh
California State University-Sacramento came in at #24 for veteran history students this year. It scores 80.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about history at California State University-Sacramento
Appalachian State University landed the #25 spot for veterans pursuing history. Appalachian State University scores 80.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full history report for Appalachian State University
These history colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students studying history: 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
