by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking to study visual and performing arts at the Bachelor’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 553 colleges that stand out for veteran visual and performing arts 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).
Want to compare schools head to head? Check out our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Narrow this ranking to a degree level below:
Here are the top-ranked visual and performing arts colleges for veterans:
Our analysis ranked University of Nebraska-Lincoln the #1 college for veteran and military-affiliated students pursuing a degree in visual and performing arts. The school's overall veterans score is 91.2 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A rank of #2 makes University of Delaware one of the top visual and performing arts colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 91.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great choice for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts, landing the #3 spot this year. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scores 90.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ohio State University-Main Campus is a great choice for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts, landing the #4 spot this year. It scores 89.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full visual and performing arts report for Ohio State University-Main Campus
James Madison University is a great choice for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts, landing the #5 spot this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full visual and performing arts report for James Madison University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #6 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Georgia landed the #7 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. It scores 89.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Georgia
William & Mary landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. It scores 89.2 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. More about the visual and performing arts program at William & Mary
University of South Florida came in at #9 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 89.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. It scores 88.8 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 visual and performing arts program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater landed the #11 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. The school's overall veterans score is 88.5 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
East Carolina University landed the #12 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. East Carolina University scores 88.2 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 visual and performing arts report for East Carolina University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University came in at #13 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University scores 88.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the visual and performing arts program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #14 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. It scores 87.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at The University of Texas at Arlington
San Diego State University came in at #15 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about visual and performing arts at San Diego State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #16 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. It scores 87.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Nevada-Las Vegas landed the #17 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. The school's overall veterans score is 87.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Nevada-Las Vegas
University of Virginia-Main Campus placed #18 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 87.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University came in at #19 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. Stony Brook University scores 87.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about visual and performing arts at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach landed the #20 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about visual and performing arts at California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida placed #21 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Florida scores 86.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Florida
Rutgers University-Newark landed the #22 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. The school's overall veterans score is 86.1 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at Rutgers University-Newark
Binghamton University placed #23 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. Binghamton University scores 85.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. More about the visual and performing arts program at Binghamton University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus scores 85.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University placed #25 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 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 visual and performing arts report for Western Michigan University
Not far behind, these visual and performing arts colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
Explore the rest of the top 15% below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 83.46 |
| 52 | Southern New Hampshire University | 83.35 |
| 53 | Rutgers University-Camden | 83.32 |
| 54 | Texas State University | 83.01 |
| 55 | Illinois State University | 83.01 |
| 56 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 82.95 |
| 57 | Miami Dade College | 82.79 |
| 58 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 82.73 |
| 59 | University of North Alabama | 82.65 |
| 60 | University of Mary Washington | 82.63 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | California State University-Northridge | 82.46 |
| 62 | Florida State University | 82.43 |
| 63 | The University of Alabama | 82.38 |
| 64 | University of Northern Iowa | 82.23 |
| 65 | George Mason University | 82.15 |
| 66 | Bellevue University | 82.13 |
| 67 | Rowan University | 82.13 |
| 68 | Southern Connecticut State University | 82.10 |
| 69 | Georgia State University | 81.98 |
| 70 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | 81.93 |
| 71 | Georgia Southern University | 81.92 |
| 72 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 81.77 |
| 73 | Clemson University | 81.75 |
| 74 | SUNY Buffalo State University | 81.74 |
| 75 | University of Nevada-Reno | 81.70 |
| 76 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 81.57 |
| 77 | Grand Valley State University | 81.50 |
| 78 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 81.35 |
| 79 | Middle Tennessee State University | 81.24 |
| 80 | Wayne State University | 81.19 |
*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 visual and performing 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.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
