by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study physical sciences at the Master’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 100 schools that serve veteran physical sciences 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).
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Here are the top-ranked physical sciences colleges for veterans:
Leading the list is University of Delaware, our #1 physical sciences college for veterans. It scores 91.1 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 physical sciences report for University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great choice for veterans pursuing physical sciences, landing the #2 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 90.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about physical sciences at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Veteran students seeking a strong physical sciences program will find one at Ohio State University-Main Campus, which ranked #3. The school's overall veterans score is 89.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about physical sciences at Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about physical sciences at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Veteran students seeking a strong physical sciences program will find one at University of South Florida, which ranked #5. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full physical sciences report for University of South Florida
East Carolina University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. East Carolina University scores 88.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full physical sciences report for East Carolina University
The University of Texas at Arlington placed #7 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the physical sciences program at The University of Texas at Arlington
University of Virginia-Main Campus placed #8 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. 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, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the physical sciences program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University placed #9 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about physical sciences at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach placed #10 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. It scores 86.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full physical sciences report for California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida placed #11 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. It scores 86.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the physical sciences program at University of Florida
Western Michigan University placed #12 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 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 physical sciences report for Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #13 for veteran physical sciences students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about physical sciences at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of California-Santa Cruz ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. University of California-Santa Cruz scores 85.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the physical sciences program at University of California-Santa Cruz
University of New Mexico-Main Campus placed #15 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. University of New Mexico-Main Campus scores 85.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about physical sciences at University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Texas Tech University landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing physical sciences. It scores 84.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full physical sciences report for Texas Tech University
University of Kentucky placed #17 among the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. University of Kentucky scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full physical sciences report for University of Kentucky
University of Central Florida landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing physical sciences. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about physical sciences at University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #19 for veteran physical sciences students this year. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about physical sciences at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo came in at #20 for veteran physical sciences students this year. It scores 84.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about physical sciences at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
University of California-Santa Barbara landed the #21 spot for veterans pursuing physical sciences. University of California-Santa Barbara scores 84.5 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 physical sciences report for University of California-Santa Barbara
University of Connecticut came in at #22 for veteran physical sciences students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about physical sciences at University of Connecticut
Ohio University-Main Campus came in at #23 for veteran physical sciences students this year. It scores 84.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full physical sciences report for Ohio University-Main Campus
Texas State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. Texas State University scores 83.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full physical sciences report for Texas State University
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best physical sciences colleges for veterans. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus scores 83.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the physical sciences program at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
These physical sciences colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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 physical sciences: 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.
