Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Tucson, AZ

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Key takeaway: 8 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Tucson 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); 4 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Davis-Monthan AFB, about 2 miles away, and 6 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Air Force, 3 National Guard, 1 Other). 2 of the 8 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ, about 5 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Arizona. Tucson has a population of about 543,348 and a median household income of $54,546; 30.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Tucson

Schools based in Arizona that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Tucson 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:

  • 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 Tucson. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Pima Community College

Tucson, AZ 4.6 miles from Tucson
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
53.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,810
Avg net price $3,405/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 88

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ 6.8 miles from Tucson
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
69.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,979
Avg net price $16,674/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 250

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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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
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Yes Yes Yes Yes 69.6 7 mi
Pima Community College Tucson, AZ Yes Yes Yes Yes 53.7 5 mi
Chandler-Gilbert Community College Chandler, AZ Yes Yes Yes Yes 53.0 95 mi
Eastern Arizona College Thatcher, AZ Yes Yes No No 52.8 81 mi
Central Arizona College Coolidge, AZ Yes Yes No No 51.4 71 mi
International Baptist College and Seminary Chandler, AZ Yes Yes Yes No 45.9 97 mi
Cochise County Community College District Sierra Vista, AZ Yes Yes Yes No 40.7 55 mi
American InterContinental University System Chandler, AZ Yes Yes Yes Yes 27.1 94 mi

Arizona has 38 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Arizona page lists them all.

Military installations near Tucson

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Tucson
Davis-Monthan AFB Air Force 2 mi
Tucson International Airport Air Guard Station Other 5 mi
National Guard Silver Bell Army Heliport National Guard 37 mi
National Guard Picacho Aviation Training Site National Guard 50 mi
Fort Huachuca Army 52 mi
National Guard Florence Military Reserve National Guard 73 mi

Common post-service careers near Tucson

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Tucson, AZ metro area where BLS publishes it.

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $102,260 Tucson, AZ metro $105,531
Logisticians $77,410 Tucson, AZ metro $79,886
Emergency Management Directors $81,970 AZ statewide $84,592
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $76,970 Tucson, AZ metro $79,432
Medical and Health Services Managers $123,760 Tucson, AZ metro $127,719
Project Management Specialists $91,500 Tucson, AZ metro $94,427
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $87,780 Tucson, AZ metro $90,588
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $92,580 Tucson, AZ metro $95,542

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 Tucson

  • Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ), 5 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 7 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.