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 29 schools that stand out for serving veterans in Idaho, 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. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed 29 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. Drill down by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out 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:
No school served veteran and military students better than Boise State University this year in Idaho. The school's overall veterans score is 84.7 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-resources score.
Out of the 29 colleges in Idaho in this year's ranking, Lewis-Clark State College landed the #2 spot. The school's overall veterans score is 75.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Out of the 29 colleges in Idaho in this year's ranking, University of Idaho landed the #3 spot. The school's overall veterans score is 75.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
A rank of #4 makes North Idaho College one of the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. It scores 74.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Idaho State University, which ranked #5 this year. Idaho State University scores 74.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
College of Western Idaho landed the #6 spot in Idaho this year. The school's overall veterans score is 66.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Carrington College-Boise ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 66.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 87.2, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
College of Southern Idaho ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 63.3 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Boise Barber College earned the #9 position in Idaho. It scores 61.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Northwest Nazarene University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 61.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 68.9, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
College of Eastern Idaho earned the #11 position in Idaho. The school's overall veterans score is 61.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Paul Mitchell the School Rexburg ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 59.7 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 0.0.
The College of Idaho ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 59.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 75.3, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Brigham Young University-Idaho placed #14 among the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 56.6 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 0.0.
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine placed #15 among the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. It scores 54.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students.
Boise Bible College ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. Boise Bible College scores 53.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 0.0.
Cosmetology School of Arts and Science LLC earned the #17 position in Idaho. The school's overall veterans score is 53.1 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 0.0.
Evans Hairstyling College-Rexburg ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 51.3 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 33.3.
Elevate Salon Institute - Chubbuck placed #19 among the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 49.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 0.0 veteran-resources score.
College of Massage Therapy placed #20 among the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. It scores 49.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 0.0.
Premiere Aesthetics Institute-Meridian placed #21 among the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. The school's overall veterans score is 49.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 0.0 veteran-resources score.
Headmasters School of Hair Design landed the #22 spot in Idaho this year. It scores 49.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 0.0.
Oliver Finley Academy of Cosmetology earned the #23 position in Idaho. Oliver Finley Academy of Cosmetology scores 48.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Aveda Institute - Boise placed #24 among the best colleges for veterans in Idaho. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 47.0 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 0.0.
Paul Mitchell the School Nampa landed the #25 spot in Idaho this year. Paul Mitchell the School Nampa scores 41.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 0.0 veteran-resources score.
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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.
