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 Master’s Degree level, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 207 schools ranked on how well they support veterans pursuing visual and performing arts, 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).
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out our College Combat to build custom comparisons on the factors you care about most.
Explore the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans at a specific degree level:
Explore the leading visual and performing arts colleges for veterans below:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln tops our 2026 ranking of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Nebraska-Lincoln scores 91.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Veteran students seeking a strong visual and performing arts program will find one at University of Delaware, which ranked #2. University of Delaware scores 91.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of Delaware
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 89.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at Ohio State University-Main Campus
A rank of #4 makes University of Michigan-Ann Arbor one of the top visual and performing arts colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 89.6 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
A rank of #5 makes University of Georgia one of the top visual and performing arts colleges for veteran students. The school's overall veterans score is 89.3 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of Georgia
University of South Florida landed the #6 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of South Florida
Rutgers University-New Brunswick ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 88.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. More about the visual and performing arts program at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
East Carolina University landed the #8 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. It scores 88.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about visual and performing arts at East Carolina University
University of Nevada-Las Vegas came in at #9 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. University of Nevada-Las Vegas scores 87.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Stony Brook University came in at #10 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. Read more about visual and performing arts at Stony Brook University
California State University-Long Beach placed #11 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.7 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 California State University-Long Beach
University of Florida ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 86.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability (GI Bill benefits, tuition support) scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of Florida
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. It scores 85.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. 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 Cincinnati-Main Campus
Western Michigan University landed the #14 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 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 Western Michigan University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #15 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. University of Washington-Seattle Campus 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 66.7. See the full visual and performing arts report for University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Arkansas placed #16 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Arkansas scores 85.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. 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 Arkansas
University of Maryland-College Park landed the #17 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. It scores 85.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. 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 Maryland-College Park
University of New Mexico-Main Campus ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of New Mexico-Main Campus scores 85.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-support score. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of New Mexico-Main Campus
University of Kentucky came in at #19 for veteran visual and performing arts students this year. University of Kentucky scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. 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 Kentucky
Texas Tech University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 84.8 out of 100. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7. See the full visual and performing arts report for Texas Tech University
University of Central Florida ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Central Florida scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On veteran affordability it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7. More about the visual and performing arts program at University of Central Florida
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee placed #22 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Iowa State University landed the #23 spot for veterans pursuing visual and performing arts. Iowa State University scores 84.5 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 visual and performing arts at Iowa State University
University of California-Santa Barbara placed #24 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. It scores 84.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-support score. Read more about visual and performing arts at University of California-Santa Barbara
University of Connecticut placed #25 among the best visual and performing arts colleges for veterans. University of Connecticut scores 84.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. 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 University of Connecticut
These visual and performing arts 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 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.
