A military school or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment. In United States, four types of military schools exist - Federal Service Academies (5 schools), Senior Military Colleges (6 schools), State-supported Maritime Colleges and Universities (6 schools), and Military Junior Colleges (4 schools).

Among these institutions, only 1 school is private, while the remaining 14 Military Colleges are public colleges and universities.

Compare and explore detailed statistics for 15 Military Colleges to find the perfect college match for your academic goals, budget, and career aspirations. Our comprehensive comparison tool provides key data including tuition costs, acceptance rates, financial aid, graduation rates, and enrollment statistics to help you make informed decisions about your higher education:

  • Average Tuition & Fees: Military Colleges charge $10,639 for in-state students and $25,569 for out-of-state students on average for undergraduate programs.
  • Graduate Program Costs: Average graduate tuition & fees for Military Colleges is $13,752 for in-state graduate students and $22,172 for out-of-state graduate students.
  • Admission Statistics: Military Colleges have moderately selective admissions, with an average acceptance rate of 65.28% and an average SAT score of 1,204 among accepted applicants.
  • Student Population: Military Colleges enroll an average of 10,750 students across all programs.
  • Graduation Success Rate: Students at Military Colleges achieve a moderate graduation rate of 59.93%, with ongoing efforts to enhance academic support and student success initiatives.

Use our detailed college comparison tables below to evaluate Military Colleges side-by-side. Compare tuition and fees, financial aid packages, admission requirements, student-to-faculty ratios, and graduation outcomes to identify the best college that matches your educational needs and budget. Start comparing colleges now to make the right choice for your future.

Key Statistics & Highlights

Here are the highest and lowest statistics among Military Colleges:

Statistic Average Highest Lowest
Tuition & Fees$25,569Virginia Military Institute
$52,638		United States Merchant Marine Academy
$895
Graduate Tuition & Fees$22,172Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
$35,092		Maine Maritime Academy
$15,335
Enrollment10,750 studentsTexas A&M University-College Station
78,321 students		Marion Military Institute
332 students
Acceptance Rate65.28%Marion Military Institute
97.03%		Citadel Military College of South Carolina
22.72%
SAT Score1,204Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
1,360		University of North Georgia
1,100

Comparison between all Military Colleges

The following table compares 15 Military Colleges with tuition and important admission statistics. You can sort the table to find top-ranked schools in the indicator (column) by clicking/touching a column that you want to sort. Note again, "*" symbol next to certain institutions in below table indicates that the school is newly classified in 2025.

Tuition Comparison Table between Military Colleges
School NameStateDegree OfferedTuition & FeesAverage Financial AidAcceptance RatePopulationGraduation RateStudent to Faculty Ratio
United States Merchant Marine Academy four-year, public NYMaster's
Bachelor's		$895 ($1,167) $5,717 234% 976 82% 13 to 1
Citadel Military College of South Carolina four-year, public SCMaster's
Bachelor's		$38,508 ($12,570) $14,816 223% 3,793 75% 11 to 1
Norwich University four-year, private VTMaster's
Bachelor's		$49,740 $39,087 274% 3,149 60% 13 to 1
Texas A&M University-College Station four-year, public TXDoctorate
Master's
Bachelor's		$40,124 ($12,995) $11,641 257% 78,321 84% 20 to 1
University of North Georgia four-year, public GADoctorate
Master's
Bachelor's
Associate		$16,956 ($5,444) $6,029 268% 19,291 37% 19 to 1
Virginia Military Institute four-year, public VABachelor's$52,638 ($21,046) $19,593 271% 1,527 76% 9 to 1
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University four-year, public VADoctorate
Master's
Bachelor's
Associate		$37,764 ($15,948) $10,993 255% 38,857 86% 17 to 1
Cal Poly Maritime Academy four-year, public CAMaster's
Bachelor's		$22,159 ($9,559) $11,318 295% 837 60% 11 to 1
Maine Maritime Academy four-year, public MEMaster's
Bachelor's
Associate		$31,102 ($15,158) $9,332 254% 971 58% 10 to 1
Massachusetts Maritime Academy four-year, public MAMaster's
Bachelor's		$23,722 ($11,420) $16,183 295% 1,488 74% 13 to 1
Northwestern Michigan College four-year, public MIBachelor's
Associate		$13,476 ($10,722) $5,759 - 3,253 25% 13 to 1
SUNY Maritime College four-year, public NYMaster's
Bachelor's
Associate		$19,159 ($8,589) $9,108 272% 1,413 64% 15 to 1
Georgia Military College four-year, public GABachelor's
Associate		$7,605 ($7,605) $4,934 - 6,575 38% 15 to 1
Marion Military Institute 2-4 year, public ALAssociate$15,538 ($9,538) $11,489 297% 332 36% 11 to 1
New Mexico Military Institute 2-4 year, public NMAssociate$14,156 ($7,190) $11,881 253% 463 44% 13 to 1

Federal Service Academies

The United States service academies, also known as the United States military academies, are federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of commissioned officers for the United States Armed Forces. Five service academies exist in United States as follows.

Senior Military Colleges

A senior military college (SMC) is one of six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs, though many other schools offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps under other sections of the law. Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is the all-military state-sponsored school that enrolls only military cadets and awards BS degrees exclusively. The other five schools maintain both a corps of cadets and a civilian student body.

State-supported maritime colleges and universities

Students at these academies are organized as cadets, and graduate with appropriate licenses from the U.S. Coast Guard and/or U.S. Merchant Marine. While no longer immediately offered a commission as an Officer within a service have the opportunity to participate in commissioning programs. Great Lake Maritime Academy is a division of Northwestern Michigan College and Texas A&M Maritime Academy is a part of the Texas A&M University System.

Military Junior Colleges

A military junior college (MJC) is a military-style junior college in the United States and one of the three major categories of the Army ROTC schools that allows cadets to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Army reserve components in two years, instead of the usual four, through the Early Commissioning Program (ECP). They also offer Service Academy preparatory programs that allows qualified students to earn an appointment to the U.S. Service Academies upon their successful completion of this demanding one-year program at MJC.