by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study music performance, general. at the Master’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 69 colleges that stand out for veteran music performance, general. students, 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. So you can compare your options, 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 tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
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Learn more about these veteran-friendly music performance, general. colleges below:
No school served veteran music performance, general. students better than University of Michigan-Ann Arbor this year. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor scores 89.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the music performance, general. program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of South Florida is a great choice for veterans pursuing music performance, general., landing the #2 spot this year. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full music performance, general. report for University of South Florida
A rank of #3 makes Rutgers University-New Brunswick one of the top music performance, general. colleges for veteran students. It scores 88.8 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 music performance, general. report for Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Stony Brook University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about music performance, general. at Stony Brook University
A rank of #5 makes California State University-Long Beach one of the top music performance, general. colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the music performance, general. program at California State University-Long Beach
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.6 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. See the full music performance, general. report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University placed #7 among the best music performance, general. 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, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the music performance, general. program at Western Michigan University
University of Arkansas ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 85.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the music performance, general. program at University of Arkansas
University of New Mexico-Main Campus placed #9 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. University of New Mexico-Main Campus scores 85.0 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 music performance, general. program at University of New Mexico-Main Campus
University of Kentucky placed #10 among the best music performance, general. 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, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about music performance, general. at University of Kentucky
Ohio University-Main Campus placed #11 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music performance, general. program at Ohio University-Main Campus
Miami University-Oxford placed #12 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 83.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full music performance, general. report for Miami University-Oxford
Portland State University placed #13 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. Portland State University scores 83.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the music performance, general. program at Portland State University
California State University-Northridge landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing music performance, general.. California State University-Northridge scores 82.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about music performance, general. at California State University-Northridge
Florida State University placed #15 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 82.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full music performance, general. report for Florida State University
Georgia State University placed #16 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 82.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the music performance, general. program at Georgia State University
University of South Carolina-Columbia placed #17 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 81.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about music performance, general. at University of South Carolina-Columbia
California State University-Sacramento came in at #18 for veteran music performance, general. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 80.7 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full music performance, general. report for California State University-Sacramento
Appalachian State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.5 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music performance, general. program at Appalachian State University
California State University-Fullerton ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 80.3 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 music performance, general. at California State University-Fullerton
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus scores 80.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the music performance, general. program at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
CUNY Queens College ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. It scores 79.2 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 music performance, general. report for CUNY Queens College
Duquesne University came in at #23 for veteran music performance, general. students this year. Duquesne University scores 78.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 57.5, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the music performance, general. program at Duquesne University
University of Wisconsin-Madison placed #24 among the best music performance, general. colleges for veterans. University of Wisconsin-Madison scores 78.6 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 music performance, general. at University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #25 for veteran music performance, general. students this year. It scores 78.6 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 music performance, general. report for University of Colorado Boulder
These music performance, general. colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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 music performance, general.: 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.
