2023 Best International Relations & National Security Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
15
Ranked Colleges
770
Degrees Awarded
$31,500
Avg Cost*
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 the Southwest Region 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 the Southwest region, there were 770 international relations and national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,568 and $21,302 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in international relations and national security. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality international relations and national security programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the international relations and national security program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations”.
Top 15 Best International Relations & National Security Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 124 students in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station 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 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M College Station, 5 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,925. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations list. Located in Prescott, Arizona, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 86 degrees to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.
Embry-Riddle Prescott also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 3,004 students enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott, 282 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 186 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,865. On top of their other funding sources, 143 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 full report on veteran student life at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott]](/colleges/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-prescott/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St. Mary’s University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations list. St. Mary’s is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
St. Mary’s also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 264 of the 3,458 students enrolled at St. Mary’s University were GI Bill® students, of which 174 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $24,459. In addition to receiving other benefits, 74 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 full report on veteran student life at St. Mary’s University]](/colleges/st-marys-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 45 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Arizona, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Arizona supports 45,601 students, and 2,131 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,478 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,880. On top of their other funding sources, 31 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Arizona]](/colleges/university-of-arizona/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #5 spot on the list. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
UTSA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, The University of Texas at San Antonio supports 34,742 students, and 3,565 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,847 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,531. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 UTSA]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio/student-life/veterans/)
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #6. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 13 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 7,566 of the 74,795 students enrolled at ASU - Tempe were GI Bill® students, of which 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,068. On top of their other funding sources, 672 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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With a ranking of #7, Angelo State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations list. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 103 diplomas to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.
Angelo State 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 507 of the 10,775 students enrolled at Angelo State University were GI Bill® students, of which 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,911. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Angelo State]](/colleges/angelo-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.
UNM 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 22,311 students enrolled at UNM, 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. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full UNM Veteran Student Life Report
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #9. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.
UT Austin 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 50,476 students enrolled at UT Austin, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,893. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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With a ranking of #10, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations list. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s international relations students in 2020-2021.
NAU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northern Arizona University supports 29,566 students, and 1,055 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 622 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,378. During this same period, 56 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
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Texas State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #11. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international relations degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State, 2,559 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,635. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Rice University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking. Rice University is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s international relations degrees to qualified students.
Rice 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 157 of the 7,643 students enrolled at Rice were GI Bill® students, of which 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,656. In addition to receiving other benefits, 68 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Baylor University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking. Baylor is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Waco, Texas. It awarded 37 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Baylor also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 876 of the 19,297 students enrolled at Baylor were GI Bill® students, of which 593 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,744. On top of their other funding sources, 263 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 full report on veteran student life at Baylor]](/colleges/baylor-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking. UTEP is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 38 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region vets studying international relations list, UTEP has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UTEP supports 24,879 students, and 1,873 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 942 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,990. During this same period, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full UTEP Veteran Student Life Report
Trinity University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for International Relations ranking, coming in at #15. Trinity University is a small school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 8 ’s international relations degrees in 2020-2021.
Trinity U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Trinity University supports 2,677 students, and 60 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 30 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,325. During this same period, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
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