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 Master’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 65 colleges ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies., using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs 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. So you can compare your options, 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 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 East Carolina University the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in criminal justice/safety studies.. It scores 88.2 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. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at East Carolina University
Veteran students seeking a strong criminal justice/safety studies. program will find one at The University of Texas at Arlington, which ranked #2. The University of Texas at Arlington scores 87.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for The University of Texas at Arlington
California State University-Long Beach is a great choice for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies., landing the #3 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for California State University-Long Beach
Rutgers University-Newark came in at #4 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. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Rutgers University-Newark
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a great choice for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies., landing the #5 spot this year. It scores 85.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
University of Central Florida ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. University of Central Florida scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #7 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. It scores 84.7 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. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #8 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 83.5 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 Nebraska at Omaha
Illinois State University landed the #9 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. The school's overall veterans score is 83.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Illinois State University
Florida State University landed the #10 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. 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 criminal justice/safety studies. report for Florida State University
George Mason University placed #11 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 82.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at George Mason University
Georgia State University came in at #12 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. It scores 82.0 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. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for Georgia State University
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 81.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 75.7, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
University of Wisconsin-Platteville ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Jacksonville State University landed the #15 spot for veterans pursuing criminal justice/safety studies.. Jacksonville State University scores 80.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Jacksonville State University
Eastern Kentucky University came in at #16 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 79.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Eastern Kentucky University
American University came in at #17 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. It scores 79.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 48.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at American University
Weber State University came in at #18 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. Weber State University scores 79.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Weber State University
Albany State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 78.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at Albany State University
University of North Florida placed #20 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 78.8 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 University of North Florida
Bridgewater State University came in at #21 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 78.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the criminal justice/safety studies. program at Bridgewater State University
Radford University came in at #22 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. It scores 78.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full criminal justice/safety studies. report for Radford University
Westfield State University ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 77.6 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 criminal justice/safety studies. at Westfield State University
University of West Florida placed #24 among the best criminal justice/safety studies. colleges for veterans. It scores 77.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. 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 West Florida
Sam Houston State University came in at #25 for veteran criminal justice/safety studies. students this year. It scores 77.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about criminal justice/safety studies. at Sam Houston State University
These criminal justice/safety studies. 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 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
