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Our analysis found University of Cincinnati-Main Campus to be the #1 college for veterans in Great Lakes. The school's overall veterans score is 89.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
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 718 institutions that stand out for serving veterans in Great Lakes, 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. So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed 718 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every veteran weighs these factors the same way. Refine the list by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Want to compare schools head to head? We built a tool called College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for veterans:
Our analysis found University of Cincinnati-Main Campus to be the #1 college for veterans in Great Lakes. The school's overall veterans score is 89.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater came in at #2 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Great Lakes. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scores 88.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #3 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Great Lakes. The school's overall veterans score is 88.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, which ranked #4 this year. The school's overall veterans score is 87.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Out of the 718 colleges in Great Lakes in this year's ranking, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire landed the #5 spot. It scores 87.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Ohio State University-Main Campus earned the #6 position in Great Lakes. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 86.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-resources score.
Western Michigan University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Western Michigan University scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Franklin University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. It scores 85.4 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.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee placed #9 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 84.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Eastern Michigan University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 84.3 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-resources score.
Ohio University-Main Campus came in at #11 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 84.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Miami University-Oxford placed #12 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. Miami University-Oxford scores 83.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 83.0 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Michigan Technological University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Michigan Technological University scores 82.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of Southern Indiana came in at #15 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 82.7 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
University of Michigan-Dearborn landed the #16 spot in Great Lakes this year. The school's overall veterans score is 82.5 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
University of Dayton placed #17 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 81.3 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 57.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Wayne State University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 81.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Oakland University placed #19 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. It scores 80.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of Northwestern Ohio ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 80.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Gateway Technical College placed #21 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. Gateway Technical College scores 80.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus earned the #22 position in Great Lakes. The school's overall veterans score is 80.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University of Illinois Chicago earned the #23 position in Great Lakes. University of Illinois Chicago scores 80.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville placed #24 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. The school's overall veterans score is 80.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Purdue University-Main Campus placed #25 among the best colleges for veterans in Great Lakes. Purdue University-Main Campus scores 80.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. 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:
Explore the rest of the top 15% below:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Viterbo University | 75.9 |
| 52 | Ohio Business College-Dayton-Driving Academy | 75.9 |
| 53 | Grand Valley State University | 75.8 |
| 54 | Saginaw Valley State University | 75.7 |
| 55 | Ball State University | 75.6 |
| 56 | Waukesha County Technical College | 75.6 |
| 57 | Milwaukee Area Technical College | 75.5 |
| 58 | Southwestern Illinois College | 75.5 |
| 59 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 75.4 |
| 60 | Tiffin University | 75.4 |
| 61 | Xavier University | 75.3 |
| 62 | University of Chicago | 75.3 |
| 63 | Youngstown State University | 75.3 |
| 64 | Western Technical College | 75.0 |
| 65 | University of Wisconsin-Superior | 75.0 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Lansing Community College | 74.9 |
| 67 | Macomb Community College | 74.8 |
| 68 | Waubonsee Community College | 74.8 |
| 69 | Wright State University-Main Campus | 74.7 |
| 70 | Madison Area Technical College | 74.7 |
| 71 | Aurora University | 74.7 |
| 72 | EHOVE Career Center | 74.6 |
| 73 | Herzing University-Akron | 74.6 |
| 74 | Alverno College | 74.5 |
| 75 | DSDT | 74.4 |
| 76 | University of Notre Dame | 74.4 |
| 77 | Northcentral Technical College | 74.3 |
| 78 | Kent State University at Stark | 74.2 |
| 79 | Blackhawk Technical College | 74.2 |
| 80 | North Central College | 74.0 |
| 81 | Indiana University-Southeast | 73.6 |
| 82 | National Louis University | 73.5 |
| 83 | Vincennes University | 73.4 |
| 84 | Otterbein University | 73.3 |
| 85 | McKendree University | 73.3 |
| 86 | Clark State College | 73.1 |
| 87 | College of DuPage | 73.1 |
| 88 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 72.9 |
| 89 | Ohio Business College-Sheffield | 72.9 |
| 90 | Kent State University at East Liverpool | 72.8 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Cuyahoga Community College District | 72.8 |
| 92 | Western Illinois University | 72.7 |
| 93 | Davenport University | 72.5 |
| 94 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community College | 72.5 |
| 95 | Washtenaw Community College | 72.4 |
| 96 | University of Toledo | 72.3 |
| 97 | The Chicago School at Chicago | 72.3 |
| 98 | Ashland University | 72.3 |
| 99 | Franciscan University of Steubenville | 72.3 |
| 100 | Rasmussen University-Illinois | 72.2 |
| 101 | Marion Technical College | 72.2 |
| 102 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 72.1 |
| 103 | Owens Community College | 72.0 |
| 104 | Saint Xavier University | 71.9 |
| 105 | Delta College | 71.8 |
| 106 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | 71.8 |
| 107 | University of Detroit Mercy | 71.7 |
| 108 | John Carroll University | 71.6 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 109 | Grace Christian University | 71.5 |
| 110 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | 71.5 |
| 111 | Ohio Business College-Sandusky | 71.5 |
| 112 | University of Akron Wayne College | 71.4 |
| 113 | Kankakee Community College | 71.4 |
| 114 | Lakeshore Technical College | 71.3 |
| 115 | Ohio University-Lancaster Campus | 71.3 |
| 116 | Sinclair Community College | 71.2 |
| 117 | Herzing University-Kenosha | 71.1 |
| 118 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | 71.1 |
| 119 | Ohio University-Zanesville Campus | 71.1 |
| 120 | Lorain County Community College | 71.0 |
| 121 | Northern Illinois University | 70.8 |
| 122 | Elgin Community College | 70.8 |
| 123 | Roosevelt University | 70.7 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 124 | Northern Michigan University | 70.6 |
| 125 | Marian University | 70.6 |
| 126 | Herzing University-Brookfield | 70.6 |
| 127 | Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa | 70.6 |
| 128 | City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | 70.5 |
| 129 | University of Michigan-Flint | 70.5 |
| 130 | Henry Ford College | 70.5 |
| 131 | Moraine Valley Community College | 70.5 |
| 132 | Moraine Park Technical College | 70.5 |
| 133 | Ohio State University-Newark Campus | 70.5 |
| 134 | Ohio University-Eastern Campus | 70.4 |
| 135 | Lincoln Land Community College | 70.2 |
| 136 | The University of Olivet | 70.2 |
| 137 | Ohio Northern University | 70.2 |
| 138 | Stark State College | 70.2 |
| 139 | Spoon River College | 69.9 |
| 140 | Sauk Valley Community College | 69.9 |
| 141 | Kent State University at Kent | 69.8 |
| 142 | Rasmussen University-Wisconsin | 69.8 |
| 143 | University of Wisconsin-Parkside | 69.8 |
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 144 | Olivet Nazarene University | 69.7 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs 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.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
