Best for Vets: Colleges 2011

We started back in the spring by polling more than 500 student veterans on what they consider the most important school services for vets. Results of the student survey informed our college survey and ultimately these rankings, particularly our emphasis on academic accreditation, central veterans' offices and staff knowledgeable on veterans' issues.

Charts: 4-Year | Online & Nontraditional | 2-Year

Click here to see the criteria

Under $250 per credit means a college's per-credit-hour rate for all programs was lower than the $250-per-credit-hour tuition assistance cap as of press time. The Defense Department was considering reducing that cap sometime in 2012.
Under GI Bill cap for public schools means full out-of-state tuition for all programs is lower than the nationwide cap of $17,500 per school year; for private schools, it means all programs are under the $17,500 cap.
Yellow Ribbon Program means a school participates in this veterans' scholarship program, which receives a federal match. It only applies to private schools or public schools' out-of-state tuition.
Relaxed residency means some in-state tuition restrictions don't apply to vets.
Veterans office means the school has a central office for handling veterans' issues.
Accepts ACE credits means a school accepts at least some credits for military training recommended by the American Council on Education.
Veterans Upward Bound means a school is a site for this Education Department program.
Academic help rates a school's academic support programs for vets, including classes open only to vets, as well as tutoring and professor mentorship programs. No stars means a school reported no specific programs.
Accreditation indicates the school's institutional accreditation: NCACS is North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; SACS is Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; NWCCU is Northwestern Commission on Colleges and Universities; NYSED is New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education; MSCHE is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; WASC is the Western Association of Schools and Colleges; TRACS is the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools; NEASC is the New England Association of Schools and Colleges; ABHES is the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools; and DETC is the Distance Education and Training Council.
Graduation rates from the NCES show the percentage of first-time students who graduated within 150 percent of the normal time for their program who began an associate degree in 2006 or a bachelor's degree in 2003 and graduated by 2009. Some schools' large populations of transfer students may influence this rate. The average for 2-year colleges was 32 percent. For 4-year colleges, it was 57 percent.
Default rates from the NCES indicate the percentage of students from the 2008 graduating class who defaulted on student loans |within two years of beginning to repay them. The average rate for 2- to 3-year colleges was 8.77 percent. For 4-year colleges, it was 4.68 percent.