by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study music. at the Master’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. The list below highlights 150 schools that stand out for veteran music. students, 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. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed 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 music. colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Explore the leading music. colleges for veterans below:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln tops our 2026 ranking of the best music. colleges for veterans. It scores 91.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music. program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Veteran students seeking a strong music. program will find one at University of Delaware, which ranked #2. The school's overall veterans score is 91.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about music. at University of Delaware
Ohio State University-Main Campus is a great choice for veterans pursuing music., landing the #3 spot this year. Ohio State University-Main Campus scores 89.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full music. report for Ohio State University-Main Campus
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a great choice for veterans pursuing music., landing the #4 spot this year. It scores 89.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full music. report for University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Veteran students seeking a strong music. program will find one at University of Georgia, which ranked #5. University of Georgia scores 89.3 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. program at University of Georgia
University of South Florida ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. It scores 89.0 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. More about the music. program at University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick came in at #7 for veteran music. students this year. Rutgers University-New Brunswick scores 88.8 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. program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing music.. The school's overall veterans score is 88.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the music. program at East Carolina University
University of Nevada-Las Vegas landed the #9 spot for veterans pursuing music.. It scores 87.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full music. report for University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Stony Brook University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. Read more about music. at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. California State University-Long Beach scores 86.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about music. at California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the music. program at University of Florida
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus placed #13 among the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full music. report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University placed #14 among the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the music. program at Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #15 for veteran music. students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the music. program at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas landed the #16 spot for veterans pursuing music.. 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. Read more about music. at University of Arkansas
University of Maryland-College Park came in at #17 for veteran music. students this year. It scores 85.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about music. at University of Maryland-College Park
University of New Mexico-Main Campus landed the #18 spot for veterans pursuing music.. The school's overall veterans score is 85.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the music. program at University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Texas Tech University came in at #19 for veteran music. students this year. Texas Tech University scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the music. program at Texas Tech University
University of Kentucky came in at #20 for veteran music. students this year. University of Kentucky scores 84.8 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 music. at University of Kentucky
University of Central Florida ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best music. 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. See the full music. report for University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best music. colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the music. program at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of California-Santa Barbara landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing music.. University of California-Santa Barbara scores 84.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full music. report for University of California-Santa Barbara
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #24 spot for veterans pursuing music.. The school's overall veterans score is 84.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. See the full music. report for Ohio University-Main Campus
Miami University-Oxford landed the #25 spot for veterans pursuing music.. It scores 83.6 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 music. at Miami University-Oxford
These music. 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 music.: 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
