BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > El Cajon
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of El Cajon 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); 8 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Naval Base San Diego Mission Gorge, about 7 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (5 Navy, 1 Marine Corps, 2 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is ATA College in El Cajon, CA, about 2 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. El Cajon has a population of about 104,909 and a median household income of $66,478; 22.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Schools based in California that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from El Cajon 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 El Cajon. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Pomona, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 86.7 | 100 mi |
| California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 86.2 | 95 mi |
| California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 85.3 | 92 mi |
| University of California-Riverside | Riverside, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 84.1 | 84 mi |
| San Diego State University | San Diego, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 83.7 | 7 mi |
| California State University-San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 78.4 | 98 mi |
| West Coast University-Orange County | Anaheim, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 76.0 | 89 mi |
| Pacific College | Costa Mesa, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 75.6 | 80 mi |
| California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 75.5 | 25 mi |
| ATA College | El Cajon, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 73.3 | 2 mi |
California has 146 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the California page lists them all.
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from El Cajon |
|---|---|---|
| Naval Base San Diego Mission Gorge | Navy | 7 mi |
| Marine Corps Air Station Miramar | Marine Corps | 9 mi |
| Naval Medical Center San Diego | Navy | 12 mi |
| Nb San Diego Dryside | Other | 12 mi |
| Nb San Diego National City | Other | 13 mi |
| Naval Station San Diego | Navy | 13 mi |
| Naval Base San Diego (Broadway Complex) | Navy | 14 mi |
| Naval Base Point Loma (Old Town Campus) | Navy | 14 mi |
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $132,120 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $118,070 |
| Logisticians | $100,130 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $89,482 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $117,070 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $104,620 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $110,400 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $98,660 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $138,080 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $123,396 |
| Project Management Specialists | $117,460 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $104,969 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $105,170 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $93,986 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $120,960 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro | $108,097 |
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.
