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Our analysis found Colorado School of Mines to be the #1 college for veterans in Colorado. Colorado School of Mines scores 85.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 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. This list highlights 77 institutions that stand out for serving veterans in Colorado, 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 analyzed 77 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. Refine the list by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? We built a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for veterans:
Our analysis found Colorado School of Mines to be the #1 college for veterans in Colorado. Colorado School of Mines scores 85.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of Colorado Boulder came in at #2 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Colorado. University of Colorado Boulder scores 84.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Colorado State University-Fort Collins, which ranked #3 this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Front Range Community College came in at #4 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Colorado. It scores 82.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Colorado State University Global, which ranked #5 this year. The school's overall veterans score is 81.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs placed #6 among the best colleges for veterans in Colorado. It scores 81.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs earned the #7 position in Colorado. Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs scores 78.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Community College of Denver earned the #8 position in Colorado. It scores 77.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Red Rocks Community College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 76.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Pikes Peak State College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Pikes Peak State College scores 76.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Pueblo Community College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 76.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Colorado School of Trades placed #12 among the best colleges for veterans in Colorado. Colorado School of Trades scores 75.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 0.0.
University of Denver ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. University of Denver scores 74.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 45.7, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of Northern Colorado came in at #14 in this year's ranking. It scores 74.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Colorado State University Pueblo came in at #15 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 73.6 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Metropolitan State University of Denver placed #16 among the best colleges for veterans in Colorado. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 73.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology placed #17 among the best colleges for veterans in Colorado. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Arizona College of Nursing-Aurora ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 72.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus placed #19 among the best colleges for veterans in Colorado. The school's overall veterans score is 71.6 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Concorde Career College-Aurora came in at #20 in this year's ranking. It scores 71.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Arapahoe Community College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. It scores 71.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Community College of Aurora placed #22 among the best colleges for veterans in Colorado. Community College of Aurora scores 69.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 33.3.
Colorado Mesa University ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 69.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design landed the #24 spot in Colorado this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 67.3 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 33.3.
Colorado Mountain College ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 66.9 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
