BEST COLLEGES FOR VETERANS, RANKED BY RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

The Veterans Education and Transition Services (VETS) seeks to provide support to veterans in tangible ways that go deeper than mere financial assistance. The university is committed to providing veterans with support services staffed by people who understand the challenges faced by our veterans. The VETS program at UA has, in the six years of its operation, become the gold standard of veteran services for universities across the country.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $708,300

The University of Iowa Veterans Center is staffed by student veterans that seek to help other veterans acclimate to the university setting. The school offers extensive services to veterans that extend far beyond just the financial services offered by many schools. This includes programs like Google for Veterans, which is run by veterans that work at Google, and helps other veterans adjust to civilian life. There are also child care services, mentoring programs, and of course extensive financial services available to veteran students.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $678,200

The University of Alabama has adopted the Veterans Education and Transition Services (VETS) program developed by the University of Arizona (spotlighted later on in this list). In addition to the typical financial services one finds at the majority of universities, the VETS program at the University of Alabama has programs like Textbooks for Troops, which collects textbooks to provide as free rentals to veterans and their student family members. The school also supports outreach programs, and transition assistance programs.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $675,300

The University of Kansas works through the many programs established by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to offer efficient and effective services to veterans. The school offers tutoring programs, scholarship resources, and an experience financial aid office that will help veterans maximize their education benefits.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $656,800

Number 15 on our list of the best colleges for veterans, Syracuse University offers a large number of special programs for veterans designed to harness their experiences for their educational benefit. The school also features some programs suited to veterans seeking to pursue a career in civilian law enforcement and counter terrorism, in addition of course, to all of the other programs offered at the school.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $653,500

The Veterans Center at the University of Missouri is a comprehensive organization designed to meet every need of veterans of the United States Military. The school, in addition to its normal aid to veterans, recently received a $1 million donation from an estate that is intended to start a fund that will provide veteran students with full scholarships to the university. The Mizzou Student Veterans Association is a peer group consisting of veterans that offer mentoring services to their fellow soldiers.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $641,700

The University of Tennessee offers a pre-college program for veterans that will ensure they are up to speed and confident in their skills as they enter higher education. While all programs at the University of Tennessee provide GI Bill support to veterans, the College of Business Administration MBA program is the only program set up to work with the Yellow Ribbon program currently, however the financial support provided through the Yellow Ribbon program makes this one of the most attractive MBA programs for veterans.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $595,800

Temple University is proud to be a Yellow Ribbon school, making it well deserving of the distinction of being on our list of the best colleges for veterans. The Yellow Ribbon program can provide as much as a full tuition reimbursement for qualified veterans. There are many other financial benefits offered to veterans by Temple both through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and from other resources.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $589,400

The University of Nebraska grants college credit for certain military experience. The school also provides veterans with reduced tuition in addition to the other financial aid programs available to veterans. Veterans benefits can be applied to both traditional classes and independent study or distance education courses. The school also provides veteran student mentorship programs designed to help veterans acclimate to civilian life.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $582,300

Effective July 1st, veterans may qualify for a residency exception at Indiana University. This means that veterans that aren't residents of the state of Indiana, may be considered residents for the purpose of calculating tuition. This can equate to a massive savings for veterans that are not residents of Indiana. In addition to this policy, the school also participates in all of the major assistance programs through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $571,100

The University of Vermont provides extensive financial services to veterans through the Veteran's Association. As one of our deserving best colleges for veterans, this school is also home to a Student Veterans Organization that holds weekly meetings and provides veterans support in the transition from military life, to academic life. The SVA also advocates for the interests of veteran

30 Year Average Net ROI: $568,800

Miami University Ohio provides extensive financial support for veterans by harnessing the full power of the GI bill and other Department of Veterans Affairs programs. The Student Veterans Association (SVA) exists at the school to advocate for the interests of veteran students, and to provide a support network for veterans and their families as the veterans adjust to civilian life. The organization also acts as a bridge between veterans and the school, providing veterans with a way to communicate their needs as a community to the school's administration.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $512,400

Duquesne is a Roman Catholic university with a strong record of supporting our nation's veterans. In addition to the GI Bill support offered by the majority of schools, some veterans or family members of veterans may find themselves eligible for a full tuition waiver for either undergraduate or graduate tuition. This is an especially rare trait to find in a private university and this characteristic makes it clear why DU made the list of our best colleges for veterans. There is a free military psychology clinic that specializes in easing the transition from military to civilian and academic life. The school also offers programs through the School of Leadership and Professional Advancement that are available to current active duty, guard, and reserve members of the military.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $490,900

There are a wide range of benefits available to veterans through the Office of Veterans Services at the University of South Carolina. The school also has a Veterans Student Services Advisory Committee that exists to gather information regarding the needs of veterans at the school so the school can continue to improve the support they offer veterans.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $440,700

Tulane's School of Continuing Studies is a part of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium and is open to any veteran with a high school diploma or GED. The school places great emphasis on maximizing the benefits of the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program to make attending college as affordable as possible for our nation's veterans.

30 Year Average Net ROI: $284,800