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Stony Brook University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for veterans in New York. It scores 87.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
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. The ranking below was designed to help you find 294 colleges that stand out for serving veterans in New York, using our 2026 methodology.
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. To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluated 294 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. Drill down by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? We built a tool called College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Learn more about these veteran-friendly colleges below:
Stony Brook University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for veterans in New York. It scores 87.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Binghamton University came in at #2 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in New York. The school's overall veterans score is 85.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at State University of New York at Oswego, which ranked #3 this year. State University of New York at Oswego scores 84.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University at Buffalo came in at #4 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in New York. The school's overall veterans score is 83.4 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
A rank of #5 makes Nassau Community College one of the best colleges for veterans in New York. It scores 82.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-resources score.
Hilbert College placed #6 among the best colleges for veterans in New York. It scores 82.7 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 84.3, and veteran resources 66.7.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College earned the #7 position in New York. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 81.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
SUNY Buffalo State University placed #8 among the best colleges for veterans in New York. The school's overall veterans score is 81.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
CUNY Queens College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 79.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
SUNY Maritime College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. SUNY Maritime College scores 79.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Molloy University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Molloy University scores 78.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 71.7, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Niagara University placed #12 among the best colleges for veterans in New York. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 78.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 71.1, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
SUNY College at Potsdam came in at #13 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 78.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice earned the #14 position in New York. It scores 77.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry earned the #15 position in New York. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry scores 77.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology came in at #16 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 77.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 94.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
State University of New York at Cortland landed the #17 spot in New York this year. The school's overall veterans score is 77.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Cayuga County Community College landed the #18 spot in New York this year. The school's overall veterans score is 76.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
St. John Fisher University earned the #19 position in New York. St. John Fisher University scores 76.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 68.4, and veteran resources 66.7.
SUNY Morrisville earned the #20 position in New York. The school's overall veterans score is 76.7 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Hofstra University placed #21 among the best colleges for veterans in New York. Hofstra University scores 76.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 48.9, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Cornell University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Cornell University scores 75.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 41.1, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
CUNY Brooklyn College earned the #23 position in New York. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 75.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
SUNY Westchester Community College placed #24 among the best colleges for veterans in New York. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 75.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Daemen University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 74.8 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 80.4, and veteran resources 66.7.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
These colleges also rank near the top for veterans this year:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | SUNY at Fredonia | 71.0 |
| 52 | University of Rochester | 70.7 |
| 53 | SUNY Oneonta | 70.7 |
| 54 | Empire State University | 70.7 |
| 55 | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science | 70.5 |
| 56 | State University of New York at New Paltz | 70.5 |
| 57 | Bryant & Stratton College-Syracuse North | 70.1 |
| 58 | New York University | 69.9 |
| 59 | Suffolk County Community College | 69.7 |
*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: 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
