by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study criminal justice/safety studies. at the Bachelor’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 322 colleges that serve veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students especially well, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking 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 reviewed colleges nationwide, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Explore the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Learn more about these veteran-friendly criminal justice/safety studies. colleges below:
Our analysis ranked Rutgers University-New Brunswick the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in criminal justice/safety studies.. It scores 88.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. East Carolina University scores 88.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at East Carolina University
The University of Texas at Arlington is a great choice for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies., landing the #3 spot this year. It scores 87.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University is a great choice for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies., landing the #4 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at San Diego State University
University of Nevada-Las Vegas came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
California State University-Long Beach came in at #6 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at California State University-Long Beach
Winona State University came in at #7 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Winona State University
Rutgers University-Newark ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 86.1 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 criminal justice/safety studies. report for Rutgers University-Newark
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus placed #9 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.6 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 criminal justice/safety studies. report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University placed #10 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.4 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. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for Western Michigan University
University of Arkansas landed the #11 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. The school's overall veterans score is 85.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at University of Arkansas
State University of New York at Oswego ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. State University of New York at Oswego scores 84.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at State University of New York at Oswego
Rhode Island College ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 84.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Rhode Island College
Boise State University came in at #14 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. Boise State University scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Boise State University
University of Central Florida placed #15 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Maryland Global Campus came in at #17 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. University of Maryland Global Campus scores 84.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at University of Maryland Global Campus
Iowa State University landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. It scores 84.5 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 criminal justice/safety studies. report for Iowa State University
Ohio University-Main Campus ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 84.1 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 criminal justice/safety studies. at Ohio University-Main Campus
University of Southern Indiana came in at #20 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. University of Southern Indiana scores 83.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at University of Southern Indiana
Portland State University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. Portland State University scores 83.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at Portland State University
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #22 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. University of Nebraska at Omaha scores 83.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Rutgers University-Camden came in at #23 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. 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 criminal justice/safety studies. report for Rutgers University-Camden
Illinois State University landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. It scores 83.0 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 criminal justice/safety studies. report for Illinois State University
Texas State University placed #25 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 83.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Texas State University
Not far behind, these criminal justice/safety studies. colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Jacksonville State University | 80.10 |
| 52 | University of Dayton | 79.91 |
| 53 | University of Southern Mississippi | 79.54 |
| 54 | Sacred Heart University | 79.39 |
| 55 | American University | 79.35 |
| 56 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | 79.31 |
| 57 | George Washington University | 79.23 |
| 58 | Weber State University | 79.18 |
| 59 | Fitchburg State University | 79.04 |
| 60 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | 79.04 |
| 61 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | 78.91 |
| 62 | Albany State University | 78.86 |
| 63 | University of North Florida | 78.85 |
| 64 | Longwood University | 78.84 |
*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 criminal justice/safety studies.: 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
