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2023 Best International Relations & National Security Colleges for Veterans in Massachusetts

10 Ranked Colleges
1,181 Degrees Awarded
$36,700 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations” ranking is part of that endeavor.

International Relations & National Security is the 67th most popular major in the country with 14,306 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, international relations and national security graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $41,288 and had an average of $21,455 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 1,181 international relations and national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,858 and $21,365 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in international relations and national security. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great international relations and national security programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the international relations and national security program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts vets studying international relations.

Top 10 Best International Relations & National Security Colleges for Veterans in Massachusetts

1
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, Boston University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 278 degrees to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.

Boston U also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 32,718 students enrolled at Boston U, 15 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,162. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Boston University Veteran Student Life Report

2
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations list. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 78 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 22,905 students enrolled at Northeastern University, 9 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,441. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northeastern Veteran Student Life Report

3
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tufts University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations list. Tufts University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 478 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Tufts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 12,219 students enrolled at Tufts, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Tufts University]](/colleges/tufts-university/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Massachusetts - Lowell. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations. UMass Lowell is located in Lowell, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

UMass Lowell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 623 of the 18,150 students enrolled at University of Massachusetts - Lowell were GI Bill® students, of which 290 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,664. During this same period, 29 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Massachusetts - Lowell does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 149 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts vets studying international relations list, Harvard has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Harvard supports 30,391 students, and 304 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 254 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,012. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Harvard University]](/colleges/harvard-university/student-life/veterans/)

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is a fairly large public school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 32 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

UMass Boston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 678 of the 16,259 students enrolled at University of Massachusetts - Boston were GI Bill® students, of which 362 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,414. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Massachusetts - Boston]](/colleges/university-of-massachusetts-boston/student-life/veterans/)

7
Simmons crest
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts

Simmons University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations ranking, coming in at #7. Simmons is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts vets studying international relations list, Simmons has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 6,263 students enrolled at Simmons University, 239 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 143 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,906. During this same period, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

8
Mt. Holyoke crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations ranking. Mount Holyoke College is a small school located in South Hadley, Massachusetts that handed out 28 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.

Mt. Holyoke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 2,040 students enrolled at Mount Holyoke College, 16 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,745. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Mt. Holyoke]](/colleges/mount-holyoke-college/student-life/veterans/)

9
Wheaton College Massachusetts crest
Wheaton College Massachusetts
Norton, Massachusetts

Wheaton College Massachusetts landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations ranking. Norton, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

Wheaton College Massachusetts also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Wheaton College Massachusetts supports 1,670 students, and 10 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 4 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Wheaton College Massachusetts]](/colleges/wheaton-college-massachusetts/student-life/veterans/)

10
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #10, Wellesley College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Massachusetts for International Relations list. Wellesley, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

Wellesley also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 2,280 students enrolled at Wellesley, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $26,725. To help with additional expenses, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

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