Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > Atascadero
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Atascadero 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 Camp San Luis Obispo, about 10 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Navy, 1 Air Force, 1 Other). 2 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo, CA, about 13 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. Atascadero has a population of about 29,735 and a median household income of $88,830; 30.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Atascadero
Schools based in California that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Atascadero 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 Atascadero.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$90,768
Avg net price
$16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$30,896
Avg net price
$22,733/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 6
Source:Accreditor: Distance Education Accrediting Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
11%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,861
Avg net price
$2,823/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,009
Avg net price
$5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 45
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,361
Avg net price
$36,126/yr
TuitionIn‑state$37,667
Out‑of‑state$37,667
Key stats
- Retention rate: 66%
- Programs offered: 3
Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,317
Avg net price
$27,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,896
Avg net price
$13,630/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 52
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
54%
Avg net price
$29,453/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 4
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
97%
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,247
Avg net price
$13,663/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,779
Out‑of‑state$20,379
Key stats
- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 33
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · 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 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
San Luis Obispo, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
89.2 |
13 mi |
| California State University-Bakersfield |
Bakersfield, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
74.3 |
89 mi |
| Hartnell College |
Salinas, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
59.4 |
99 mi |
| Santa Barbara City College |
Santa Barbara, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
56.7 |
93 mi |
| Allan Hancock College |
Santa Maria, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
55.3 |
40 mi |
| Lemoore College |
Lemoore, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
55.0 |
74 mi |
| Coalinga College |
Coalinga, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
49.2 |
50 mi |
| Laurus College |
San Luis Obispo, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
48.6 |
15 mi |
| Taft College |
Taft, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
46.3 |
73 mi |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia |
Visalia, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
45.3 |
93 mi |
California has 146 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the California page lists them all.
Military installations near Atascadero
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Atascadero |
| Camp San Luis Obispo |
Army |
10 mi |
| Maneuver Training Center-Heavy Camp Roberts |
Other |
21 mi |
| Fort Hunter Liggett |
Army |
45 mi |
| Vandenberg AFB |
Air Force |
54 mi |
| Naval Air Station Lemoore |
Navy |
71 mi |
Common post-service careers near Atascadero
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$133,100 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$122,560 |
| Logisticians |
$91,240 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$84,015 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$129,910 |
CA statewide |
$119,622 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$101,860 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$93,794 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$126,700 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$116,667 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$108,730 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$100,120 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$95,550 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$87,983 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$119,690 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro |
$110,212 |
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 Atascadero
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA), 13 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- Laurus College (San Luis Obispo, CA), 15 mi, 2 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.
