Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Alabama > Decatur
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Decatur 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); 7 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Redstone Arsenal, about 19 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 2 Air Force, 2 Other). 2 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Athens State University in Athens, AL, about 16 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is The University of Alabama.
Military-friendly online colleges near Decatur
Schools based in Alabama that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Decatur 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.
How We Rank Schools
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:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Decatur.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,273
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
69%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,767
Avg net price
$18,796/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,132
Out‑of‑state$26,408
Key stats
- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 62
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,488
Avg net price
$25,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
58%
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,628
Avg net price
$17,621/yr
TuitionIn‑state$10,024
Out‑of‑state$18,634
Key stats
- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,415
Avg net price
$12,170/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 66
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,597
Avg net price
$15,426/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 2
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
16%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,092
TuitionIn‑state$13,920
Out‑of‑state$13,920
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
88%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,501
Avg net price
$18,749/yr
TuitionIn‑state$9,098
Out‑of‑state$22,562
Key stats
- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 130
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,909
Avg net price
$19,651/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 57%
- Programs offered: 15
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,469
Avg net price
$32,622/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 90
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)
| 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 |
99 mi |
| Samford University |
Birmingham, AL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
66.9 |
77 mi |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville |
Huntsville, AL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
65.0 |
22 mi |
| Itawamba Community College |
Fulton, MS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
63.0 |
84 mi |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham |
Birmingham, AL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
58.6 |
75 mi |
| Northeast Mississippi Community College |
Booneville, MS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
56.6 |
90 mi |
| Middle Tennessee State University |
Murfreesboro, TN |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
56.4 |
95 mi |
| University of North Alabama |
Florence, AL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
53.6 |
42 mi |
| George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville |
Hanceville, AL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
52.6 |
37 mi |
| Athens State University |
Athens, AL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
52.1 |
16 mi |
Alabama has 43 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Alabama page lists them all.
Military installations near Decatur
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Decatur |
| Redstone Arsenal |
Other |
19 mi |
| Birmingham Airport |
Other |
71 mi |
| Arnold AFB |
Air Force |
74 mi |
| Fort McClellan Air National Guard Training Center |
Air Force |
84 mi |
| Anniston Army Dep |
Army |
87 mi |
Common post-service careers near Decatur
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Decatur, AL metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$130,400 |
Decatur, AL metro |
$149,541 |
| Logisticians |
$89,500 |
Decatur, AL metro |
$102,638 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$57,120 |
Decatur, AL metro |
$65,505 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$91,450 |
Decatur, AL metro |
$104,874 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$106,140 |
Decatur, AL metro |
$121,720 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$79,500 |
Decatur, AL metro |
$91,170 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$118,320 |
AL statewide |
$135,688 |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; rows marked with the metro name are metro medians, the rest are statewide.
Campuses within 30 miles of Decatur
- Athens State University (Athens, AL), 16 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- University of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville, AL), 22 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
Nearby cities
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.
