by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study astronomy. at the Bachelor’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 14 schools that stand out for veteran astronomy. 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. To help you decide, College Factual evaluated 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.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Explore the leading astronomy. colleges for veterans below:
Leading the list is Ohio State University-Main Campus, our #1 astronomy. college for veterans. It scores 89.9 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 100.0. More about the astronomy. program at Ohio State University-Main Campus
A rank of #2 makes University of Michigan-Ann Arbor one of the top astronomy. colleges for veteran students. It scores 89.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full astronomy. report for University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
A rank of #3 makes University of Virginia-Main Campus one of the top astronomy. colleges for veteran students. It scores 87.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about astronomy. at University of Virginia-Main Campus
University of Florida is a great choice for veterans pursuing astronomy., landing the #4 spot this year. It scores 86.4 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 100.0. More about the astronomy. program at University of Florida
A rank of #5 makes University of Washington-Seattle Campus one of the top astronomy. colleges for veteran students. University of Washington-Seattle Campus scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about astronomy. at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Maryland-College Park ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best astronomy. colleges for veterans. University of Maryland-College Park scores 85.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full astronomy. report for University of Maryland-College Park
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #7 for veteran astronomy. students this year. It scores 78.6 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 astronomy. at University of Colorado Boulder
University of Arizona landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy.. University of Arizona scores 78.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the astronomy. program at University of Arizona
University of Massachusetts-Amherst ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best astronomy. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 77.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3. See the full astronomy. report for University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Indiana University-Bloomington ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best astronomy. colleges for veterans. It scores 77.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the astronomy. program at Indiana University-Bloomington
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #11 for veteran astronomy. students this year. The University of Texas at Austin scores 76.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about astronomy. at The University of Texas at Austin
Cornell University landed the #12 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy.. It scores 75.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 41.1, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full astronomy. report for Cornell University
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign placed #13 among the best astronomy. colleges for veterans. It scores 75.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about astronomy. at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Boston University landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing astronomy.. It scores 71.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 41.6, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full astronomy. report for Boston University
*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 astronomy.: 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.
