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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Michigan. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 88.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 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 135 schools ranked on how well they support veterans in Michigan, 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, 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 evaluated 135 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Your ideal fit depends on your goals and benefits. Narrow your list by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for veterans:
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Michigan. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 88.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Out of the 135 colleges in Michigan in this year's ranking, Western Michigan University landed the #2 spot. The school's overall veterans score is 85.4 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Eastern Michigan University came in at #3 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Michigan. Eastern Michigan University scores 84.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 100.0.
Michigan Technological University earned the #4 place in Michigan. It scores 82.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at University of Michigan-Dearborn, which ranked #5 this year. It scores 82.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Wayne State University landed the #6 spot in Michigan this year. Wayne State University scores 81.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Oakland University placed #7 among the best colleges for veterans in Michigan. The school's overall veterans score is 80.8 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Michigan State University placed #8 among the best colleges for veterans in Michigan. It scores 78.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Central Michigan University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 78.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Madonna University earned the #10 position in Michigan. The school's overall veterans score is 76.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 99.1, and veteran resources 66.7.
Grand Valley State University landed the #11 spot in Michigan this year. It scores 75.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Saginaw Valley State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 75.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Lansing Community College placed #13 among the best colleges for veterans in Michigan. The school's overall veterans score is 74.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Macomb Community College placed #14 among the best colleges for veterans in Michigan. It scores 74.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
DSDT earned the #15 position in Michigan. It scores 74.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Davenport University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.5 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Washtenaw Community College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 72.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Delta College placed #18 among the best colleges for veterans in Michigan. Delta College scores 71.8 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 Detroit Mercy landed the #19 spot in Michigan this year. The school's overall veterans score is 71.7 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 84.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Grace Christian University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Grace Christian University scores 71.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Northern Michigan University landed the #21 spot in Michigan this year. The school's overall veterans score is 70.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University of Michigan-Flint came in at #22 in this year's ranking. University of Michigan-Flint scores 70.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Henry Ford College earned the #23 position in Michigan. Henry Ford College scores 70.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
The University of Olivet came in at #24 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 70.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 82.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Northwood University landed the #25 spot in Michigan this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 69.6 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 82.2, and veteran resources 66.7.
These colleges also placed near the top 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.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
