by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking for a college that has your back, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 85 institutions that stand out for serving veterans in Washington, 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, 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 evaluated 85 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
The right college for a veteran depends on what matters most to you. Drill down by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Ready to build your own comparison? We built a tool called College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges for veterans below:
Leading the list is University of Washington-Seattle Campus, our #1 best college for veterans in Washington. It scores 84.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, which ranked #2 this year. Lake Washington Institute of Technology scores 79.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Clover Park Technical College, which ranked #3 this year. The school's overall veterans score is 78.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
A rank of #4 makes Gonzaga University one of the best colleges for veterans in Washington. The school's overall veterans score is 77.8 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 50.7, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Pacific Lutheran University, which ranked #5 this year. Pacific Lutheran University scores 77.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 53.2, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
City University of Seattle landed the #6 spot in Washington this year. The school's overall veterans score is 77.6 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Central Washington University earned the #7 position in Washington. Central Washington University scores 77.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Washington State University landed the #8 spot in Washington this year. The school's overall veterans score is 76.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Columbia Basin College landed the #9 spot in Washington this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 76.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Green River College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. It scores 74.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Bellevue College landed the #11 spot in Washington this year. The school's overall veterans score is 74.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Eastern Washington University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 74.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Pierce College District ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 73.9 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Seattle University landed the #14 spot in Washington this year. Seattle University scores 73.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 50.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Whitworth University earned the #15 position in Washington. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 53.3, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Western Washington University placed #16 among the best colleges for veterans in Washington. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.7 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Shoreline Community College placed #17 among the best colleges for veterans in Washington. It scores 72.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Renton Technical College earned the #18 position in Washington. The school's overall veterans score is 72.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Clark College earned the #19 position in Washington. The school's overall veterans score is 70.5 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Tacoma Community College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. It scores 70.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Seattle Central College placed #21 among the best colleges for veterans in Washington. The school's overall veterans score is 69.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Divers Institute of Technology landed the #22 spot in Washington this year. It scores 68.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 98.6, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
South Seattle College ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. South Seattle College scores 68.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Everett Community College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. Everett Community College scores 68.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Bates Technical College ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 68.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the best for veterans 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: affordability and veteran financial benefits, 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.
