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 281 schools that stand out for serving veterans in Texas, 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. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed 281 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.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our tool College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Explore the leading colleges for veterans below:
The University of Texas at Arlington earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Texas. The University of Texas at Arlington scores 87.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 100.0.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Texas Tech University, which ranked #2 this year. The school's overall veterans score is 84.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
A rank of #3 makes Collin County Community College District one of the best colleges for veterans in Texas. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 83.0 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
A rank of #4 makes Texas A&M University-College Station one of the best colleges for veterans in Texas. The school's overall veterans score is 82.5 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of Houston came in at #5 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Texas. It scores 82.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Houston Community College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Houston Community College scores 81.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #7 spot in Texas this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 80.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Texas Woman's University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 80.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Dallas College placed #9 among the best colleges for veterans in Texas. It scores 80.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Austin Community College District came in at #10 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 79.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
South Texas College landed the #11 spot in Texas this year. South Texas College scores 78.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Tarrant County College District came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Tarrant County College District scores 78.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Northwest Vista College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. It scores 78.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Lee College earned the #14 position in Texas. The school's overall veterans score is 78.0 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Sam Houston State University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 77.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Central Texas College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Central Texas College scores 77.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #17 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 76.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Texas A & M International University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 76.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Lone Star College System ranked #19 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.
McLennan Community College earned the #20 position in Texas. McLennan Community College scores 75.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Angelo State University placed #21 among the best colleges for veterans in Texas. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 75.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Tarleton State University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. It scores 75.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
The University of Texas at San Antonio placed #23 among the best colleges for veterans in Texas. The school's overall veterans score is 75.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 100.0 veteran-resources score.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #24 spot in Texas this year. The school's overall veterans score is 74.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
East Texas A&M University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. It scores 74.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the best for veterans this year:
These colleges narrowly missed the top tiers:
| Rank | College | Veterans Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Saint Edward’s University | 69.1 |
| 52 | Pima Medical Institute-Houston | 69.0 |
| 53 | DeVry University-Texas | 68.9 |
| 54 | Chamberlain University-Texas | 68.8 |
| 55 | Tyler Junior College | 68.8 |
| 56 | Prairie View A & M University | 68.7 |
| 57 | Galveston College | 68.5 |
*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.
