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 68 colleges for veteran and military-affiliated students in Iowa, 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 arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 68 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.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our tool College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges for veterans below:
No school served veteran and military students better than University of Northern Iowa this year in Iowa. The school's overall veterans score is 82.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Iowa State University came in at #2 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Iowa. It scores 82.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Out of the 68 colleges in Iowa in this year's ranking, University of Iowa landed the #3 spot. The school's overall veterans score is 81.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Iowa Western Community College, which ranked #4 this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 76.2 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
A rank of #5 makes Des Moines Area Community College one of the best colleges for veterans in Iowa. Des Moines Area Community College scores 75.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Kirkwood Community College landed the #6 spot in Iowa this year. It scores 74.2 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Allen College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 73.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Upper Iowa University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 73.5 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Mercy College of Health Sciences placed #9 among the best colleges for veterans in Iowa. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Maharishi International University placed #10 among the best colleges for veterans in Iowa. It scores 72.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
Eastern Iowa Community College District earned the #11 position in Iowa. Eastern Iowa Community College District scores 72.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Hawkeye Community College came in at #12 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, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Western Iowa Tech Community College earned the #13 position in Iowa. It scores 70.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Grand View University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 69.8 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 81.1, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Marshalltown Community College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 69.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Iowa Central Community College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. It scores 68.4 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
University of Dubuque landed the #17 spot in Iowa this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 68.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 67.7, and veteran resources 66.7.
Saint Ambrose University placed #18 among the best colleges for veterans in Iowa. The school's overall veterans score is 67.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 76.2, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Drake University earned the #19 position in Iowa. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 66.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 54.3, and veteran resources 33.3.
North Iowa Area Community College ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. The school's overall veterans score is 66.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Southeastern Community College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Southeastern Community College scores 65.7 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Mount Mercy University landed the #22 spot in Iowa this year. It scores 65.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 69.4, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Graceland University-Lamoni landed the #23 spot in Iowa this year. Graceland University-Lamoni scores 65.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 81.6, and veteran resources 33.3.
Loras College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. Loras College scores 64.8 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 70.8, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Indian Hills Community College earned the #25 position in Iowa. The school's overall veterans score is 63.4 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
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.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
