by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study design and applied arts. at the Bachelor’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. This ranking highlights 298 schools that stand out for veteran design and applied arts. students, 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 reviewed 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 to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Explore the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Here are the top-ranked design and applied arts. colleges for veterans:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln tops our 2026 ranking of the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. University of Nebraska-Lincoln scores 91.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about design and applied arts. at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Delaware is a great choice for veterans pursuing design and applied arts., landing the #2 spot this year. It scores 91.1 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. More about the design and applied arts. program at University of Delaware
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. Ohio State University-Main Campus scores 89.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about design and applied arts. at Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of South Florida came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. University of South Florida scores 89.0 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 design and applied arts. at University of South Florida
Veteran students seeking a strong design and applied arts. program will find one at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, which ranked #5. The school's overall veterans score is 88.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about design and applied arts. at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University placed #6 among the best design and applied arts. 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. Read more about design and applied arts. at East Carolina University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University placed #7 among the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the design and applied arts. program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #8 for veteran design and applied arts. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about design and applied arts. at The University of Texas at Arlington
University of Nevada-Las Vegas landed the #9 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full design and applied arts. report for University of Nevada-Las Vegas
California State University-Long Beach ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. It scores 86.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full design and applied arts. report for California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida placed #11 among the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. It scores 86.4 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 design and applied arts. at University of Florida
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full design and applied arts. report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University came in at #13 for veteran design and applied arts. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the design and applied arts. program at Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. University of Washington-Seattle Campus scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full design and applied arts. report for University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas landed the #15 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. It scores 85.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about design and applied arts. at University of Arkansas
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. The school's overall veterans score is 85.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about design and applied arts. at University of California-Santa Cruz
State University of New York at Oswego ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best design and applied arts. 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, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full design and applied arts. report for State University of New York at Oswego
University of Kentucky landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. University of Kentucky scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the design and applied arts. program at University of Kentucky
Texas Tech University placed #19 among the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about design and applied arts. at Texas Tech University
Boise State University landed the #20 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the design and applied arts. program at Boise State University
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #21 for veteran design and applied arts. 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, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the design and applied arts. program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Iowa State University placed #22 among the best design and applied arts. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.5 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about design and applied arts. at Iowa State University
Eastern Michigan University landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. It scores 84.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about design and applied arts. at Eastern Michigan University
University of Kansas landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. University of Kansas scores 84.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about design and applied arts. at University of Kansas
Washington State University landed the #25 spot for veterans pursuing design and applied arts.. It scores 84.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about design and applied arts. at Washington State University
These design and applied arts. colleges also placed near the top this year:
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | California State University-Sacramento | 80.65 |
| 52 | Ball State University | 80.63 |
| 53 | Appalachian State University | 80.49 |
| 54 | Samford University | 80.46 |
| 55 | Oregon State University | 80.46 |
| 56 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | 80.39 |
| 57 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 80.34 |
| 58 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 80.30 |
| 59 | University of Illinois Chicago | 80.19 |
| 60 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 80.12 |
*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 design and applied arts.: 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.
