U.S. News and World Report just released their annual best college report – Best Colleges in 2025. In this article, we target 10 of these schools that are best for veterans. For schools to make this list, they must:
- Be certified to accept the GI Bill
- Must participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, or declare as a public school
- Have a minimum of 20 full-time and/or part-time veterans or active-duty members in their 2023/2024 academic year class
- Participate in other federal initiatives that help veterans and active-duty members pay for their degrees
10 Best Colleges for Veterans and Military Members
The points of data of each school below – Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays and Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Students – are based on the assumption that the veteran is using the Post 9/11 GI Bill and they are at the 100% tier that GI Bill. Using a different GI Bill, or not at the 100% tier (attained with three years or more of service), will change the numbers in these two categories along with Out of Pocket costs. Also, the Tuition and Fees rates shown are the in-state or resident rate for each school. If paying out-of-state tuition and fees, the cost can be two to three times greater than what is shown.
The housing allowance is also based on the zip code of the school, in addition to the tier level, so schools located on the east and west coasts pay more to the student due to higher cost of living. The book stipend remains the same at a maximum of $1,000 per academic year.
1. Cornell University
Located in Ithaca, NY, this school tied for #1 with the University of Chicago as the best college for veterans. Starting in 1865, it has a campus size of 745 acres. The Cornell system has seven undergraduate schools each with its own admission process and faculty. Two of its largest undergraduate schools are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
- Type of School: Private
- Number of GI Bill Students: 790
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 16,071
- Acceptance Rate: 8%
- SAT Range: 1480 – 1560
- ACT Range: 33 – 35
- Application Deadline: Jan 2nd
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $63,200
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: 28,937
- Out of Pocket: $34,262
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $21,628
2. University of Chicago
Located in Hyde Park in Chicago, IL, this school, also rated as #1 for veterans, was started in 1890 sits on 217 acres. Currently, this school offers 50 majors and 40 minors and has produced 94 Nobel Prize winners.
- Type of School: Private
- Number of GI Bill Students: 387
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,489
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- SAT Range: 1510 – 1570
- ACT Range: 34 – 35
- Application Deadline: Jan 6th
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $64,260
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $28,937
- Out of Pocket: $35,323
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $26,272
3. Brown University
This is a small campus of 146 acres that was founded in 1764 and is located atop College Hill in Providence, RI. With it being a smaller school, 66.9% of its classes have fewer than 20 students each. Its majors are heavy in science, math and engineering.
- Type of School: Private
- Number of GI Bill Students: 157
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,741
- Acceptance Rate: 5%
- SAT Range: 1500 – 1570
- ACT Range: 34 – 35
- Application Deadline: Jan 3rd
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $65,146
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $28,937
- Out of Pocket: $36,209
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $26,110
4. University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA)
In its urban setting in Los Angeles, it sits on 419 acres that are only five miles from the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1919, it uses a quarter-based system instead of the more common semester-based system.
- Type of School: Public
- Number of GI Bill Students: 808
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 33,040
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- SAT Range: N/A
- ACT Range: N/A
- High School GPA: 3.9
- Application Deadline: Nov 30th
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $13,401
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $13,401
- Out of Pocket: $0.00
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $33,724
5. University of California – Berkeley
Founded in 1868, it is a large urban campus set on 1,232 acres overlooking San Francisco Bay. Unlike UCLA, this school uses the semester-base system. While it is a large school, it boasts that 50.9% of its classes have fewer than 20 students each.
- Type of School: Public
- Number of GI Bill Students: 655
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 33,405
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- SAT Range: N/A
- ACT Range: N/A
- High School GPA: 3.9
- Application Deadline: Nov 30th
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $14,395
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $14,395
- Out of Pocket: $0.00
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $33,643
6. Princeton University
Named after its location in Princeton, NJ, this campus was founded in 1746 sits on 690 acres making it one of the oldest schools in the U.S. One notable fact is that 80% of their students graduate in four years.
- Type of School: Private
- Number of GI Bill Students: 37
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,671
- Acceptance Rate: 4%
- SAT Range: 1500 – 1580
- ACT Range: 34 – 35
- Application Deadline: Jan 1st
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $57,410
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $28,937
- Out of Pocket: $28,473
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $28,972
7. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Founded in 1817, its campus, located on 3,207 acres in Ann Arbor, MI. Its most popular majors include Computer and Information Sciences, Business Administration and Management, Economics, Behavioral Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology.
- Type of School: Public
- Number of GI Bill Students: 734
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 33,730
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- SAT Range: 1350 – 1530
- ACT Range: 31 – 34
- Application Deadline: Feb 1st
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $16,736
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $16,736
- Out of Pocket: $0
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $14,446
8. University of Virginia
Located in Charlottesville, VA, this school was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 and sits on 1,682 acres. Besides their normal undergraduate majors, they offer two combined degree programs: Accelerated Bachelors/Master of Public Policy and BA/MT BA in Arts & Science/Master of Teaching – a five-year program
- Type of School: Public
- Number of GI Bill Students: 967
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,618
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- SAT Range: 1410 – 1530
- ACT Range: 32 – 34
- Application Deadline: Jan 5th
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $20,342
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $20,342
- Out of Pocket: $0.00
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $18,820
9. University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Often referred to as UNC, this school is in Chapel Hill, NC. It was founded in 1790 and sits on 729 acres. The school has several schools within its campus of which the College of Arts and Sciences being the largest. North Carolina state law dictates that 82% of its annual freshman class must be from North Carolina.
- Type of School: Public
- Number of GI Bill Students: 855
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 20,880
- Acceptance Rate: 19%
- SAT Range: 1370 – 1530
- ACT Range: 30 – 34
- Application Deadline: Jan 15th
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $8,989
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $8,989
- Out of Pocket: $0.00
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $1,8793
10. University of Southern California
Founded in 1880, USC’s University Park Campus is in LA’s Downtown Arts and Education Corridor. It sits on 226 acres and has other campuses scattered across Southern California, Sacramento, CA and oddly enough in Washington, D.C. It has the common majors, along with some that are more unique like: Visual and Performing Arts, Social Sciences, Journalism, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and Architecture.
- Type of School: Private
- Number of GI Bill Students: 1,284
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 21,023
- Acceptance Rate: 10%
- SAT Range: 1440 – 1550
- ACT Range: 32 – 35
- Application Deadline: Jan 15th
- Accreditation: Regional
- Tuition and Fees: $64,726
- Post 9/11 GI Bill Pays: $ 28,937
- Out of Pocket: $35,789
- Housing and Book Stipend Paid to Student: $33,724
To see the full list of Best Colleges for Veterans in 2025 go here. Once you have some potential schools picked out, input your specific GI Bill information into the GI Bill© Comparison Tool to see how much your GI Bill will pay for the schools you chose.
Also note that the out of pocket costs noted here are before any scholarships orYellow Ribbon Program Waivers are applied.
