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Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Alabama > Bessemer
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Bessemer offer fully online programs and report both credit for military training and a dedicated point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and their families (IPEDS IC 2024); 5 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Birmingham Airport, about 19 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 4 Air Force, 1 National Guard, 2 Other). 2 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Samford University in Birmingham, AL, about 12 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is The University of Alabama. Bessemer has a population of about 25,655 and a median household income of $37,844; 14.4 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Schools based in Alabama that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Bessemer city center, with BOC Score on each card. The tags on each card are the school’s own IPEDS answers for the four military services. The distance table further down covers the nearest qualifying schools regardless of state line.
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Bessemer. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 69.7 | 35 mi |
| Samford University | Birmingham, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 66.9 | 12 mi |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 65.0 | 95 mi |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 58.6 | 14 mi |
| East Mississippi Community College | Scooba, MS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 57.7 | 95 mi |
| Mississippi University for Women | Columbus, MS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 57.1 | 84 mi |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 56.4 | 98 mi |
| George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville | Hanceville, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 52.6 | 50 mi |
| Athens State University | Athens, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 52.1 | 99 mi |
| Amridge University | Montgomery, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 51.5 | 84 mi |
Alabama has 43 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Alabama page lists them all.
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from Bessemer |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Airport | Other | 19 mi |
| Anniston Army Dep | Army | 61 mi |
| Fort McClellan Air National Guard Training Center | Air Force | 63 mi |
| Maxwell AFB | Air Force | 77 mi |
| Maxwell Air Force Base (Gunter Annex) | Air Force | 79 mi |
| Montgomery Regional Airport Army National Guard | National Guard | 81 mi |
| Columbus AFB | Air Force | 87 mi |
| Redstone Arsenal | Other | 89 mi |
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Birmingham, AL metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $115,520 | Birmingham, AL metro | $126,114 |
| Logisticians | $77,210 | Birmingham, AL metro | $84,290 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $88,510 | Birmingham, AL metro | $96,627 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $60,590 | Birmingham, AL metro | $66,146 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $100,500 | Birmingham, AL metro | $109,716 |
| Project Management Specialists | $100,820 | Birmingham, AL metro | $110,066 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $84,350 | Birmingham, AL metro | $92,085 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $128,740 | Birmingham, AL metro | $140,546 |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; rows marked with the metro name are metro medians, the rest are statewide.
Benefit eligibility is determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and your service’s education office. Nothing on this page guarantees education benefits, credit transfer, admission, or a particular cost. Confirm every detail with the school’s military or veteran services office before you enroll.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024): veteran and military services indicators (VET2 through VET5), distance-education program flag (DISTPGS); BOC Score from College Scorecard and IPEDS outcome data; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 Military Installations layer (installation names as recorded there); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities; Census ACS 5-year estimates. Directory counts as of the September 2026 refresh.
