University of Arizona ranked nation's top public university for veterans

For Tucson’s military connected community, the University of Arizona’s latest national recognition highlights resources that can shape whether veterans and service members find a foothold in college and civilian life. Military Times ranked the U of A No. 1 among public universities in its 2026 Best for Vets: Colleges rankings, released Nov. 9. The university placed No. 2 overall among 370 qualifying colleges and universities, its highest overall position in the ranking’s history.

The distinction carries particular weight in Southern Arizona, where Davis Monthan Air Force Base and a long established network of veterans, active duty personnel and military families are part of the region’s identity. The U of A serves that community through Veterans Education and Transition Services, commonly called the VETS Center, as well as Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC programs. Together, the university says those programs serve more than 8,000 military connected students.

The VETS Center is designed to address the practical and personal challenges that can accompany the move from military service to higher education. Its services include help with Veterans Affairs education benefits and enrollment certification, academic advising, tutoring, workshops, peer mentoring, career counseling and connections to community networks. Military connected students can also receive priority registration, which can make it easier to build a workable class schedule around other responsibilities.

Army veteran Trevor Anderson experienced those services after completing multiple tours in Iraq and leaving the military in April 2012. He moved to Tucson and enrolled at the U of A during the same semester. Anderson, who has worked as a bartender for more than a decade and is also an award winning artist, said the VETS Center gave him a welcoming place to turn whenever he had questions about school, benefits or the broader transition into civilian life.

The center also helped Anderson connect his creative skills with his new campus community. Through a work study opportunity, he was hired to paint a mural inside the VETS Center. The project gave him paid work during the summer while allowing him to contribute something personal to a space intended for other veterans and military connected students. For Anderson, that experience became part of finding a place in Tucson after his service, rather than simply a campus job.

University officials described the ranking as the result of a continuing institutional commitment rather than a one time achievement. President Suresh Garimella said the university’s support for service members, veterans and their families has deepened across generations. Blaze Smith, director of Veterans Education and Transition Services and the U of A ROTC program, pointed to student retention, increased military connected enrollment, annual surveys and the campus community built around those students as evidence of the work behind the recognition.

Military Times weighs several categories in determining its rankings. Student success measures receive the greatest emphasis, followed by military specific services, financial assistance, admissions and registration policies, and other resources for service members, veterans, families and dependents. The methodology considers how institutions support active duty personnel and veterans throughout the college experience, not only whether they offer a dedicated office or education benefits assistance.

The U of A’s military ties extend well beyond its current programs. The university’s connection to military education dates to the Morrill Act of 1885, which initially required military training at land grant universities. During World War II, about 11,000 service members received training on the Tucson campus. More recently, the U of A Air Force ROTC was named the nation’s top large detachment, while Arizona Online was ranked No. 4 among online MBA programs for veterans in the 2026 U.S. News and World Report rankings. Arizona public colleges also became eligible for a 2022 policy allowing spouses of honorably discharged veterans to receive free tuition on a first come, first served basis.

For Tucson veterans and families considering college, the Military Times result offers a national measure of programs they can access locally. It also reflects the less visible parts of the transition, including finding trusted guidance, building connections and adapting military experience to academic and professional goals. Anderson’s experience illustrates why those services matter: the VETS Center helped him navigate questions, pursue his education and use his artistic work to become part of the campus community.