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 118 schools that stand out for serving veterans in Missouri, 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 help you decide, College Factual reviewed 118 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 weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Learn more about these veteran-friendly colleges below:
Leading the list is Missouri University of Science and Technology, our #1 best college for veterans in Missouri. It scores 91.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Webster University, which ranked #2 this year. It scores 88.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. On affordability for veterans it scores 88.2, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
University of Missouri-St Louis came in at #3 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in Missouri. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 80.1 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at University of Missouri-Columbia, which ranked #4 this year. University of Missouri-Columbia scores 79.9 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Out of the 118 colleges in Missouri in this year's ranking, Park University landed the #5 spot. It scores 79.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University of Missouri-Kansas City placed #6 among the best colleges for veterans in Missouri. The school's overall veterans score is 77.2 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Washington University in St Louis came in at #7 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 76.3 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 43.1, and veteran resources 66.7.
Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #8 spot in Missouri this year. The school's overall veterans score is 75.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 99.8, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Missouri State University-Springfield landed the #9 spot in Missouri this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 75.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
University of Central Missouri placed #10 among the best colleges for veterans in Missouri. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 75.0 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
St Charles Community College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. It scores 74.8 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Northwest Missouri State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. It scores 74.6 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Lindenwood University placed #13 among the best colleges for veterans in Missouri. The school's overall veterans score is 74.0 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Westminster College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. Westminster College scores 73.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 79.3, and veteran resources 66.7.
Chamberlain University-Missouri ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 73.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Ranken Technical College placed #16 among the best colleges for veterans in Missouri. It scores 73.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 33.3.
State Technical College of Missouri landed the #17 spot in Missouri this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Columbia College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 72.8 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Southwest Baptist University earned the #19 position in Missouri. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 71.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 95.8, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Truman State University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 71.8 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Saint Louis Community College earned the #21 position in Missouri. The school's overall veterans score is 71.3 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Saint Louis University placed #22 among the best colleges for veterans in Missouri. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 70.9 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 50.9, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City placed #23 among the best colleges for veterans in Missouri. It scores 70.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
City Vision University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. It scores 70.5 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
College of the Ozarks landed the #25 spot in Missouri this year. It scores 70.1 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.
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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
