Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Merced, CA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > Merced

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Merced 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); 6 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Riverbank Army Ammunition Plnt, about 37 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 2 Navy, 1 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 3 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is California State University-Stanislaus in Turlock, CA, about 26 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Palo Alto University. Merced has a population of about 89,766 and a median household income of $59,938; 18.0 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Merced

Schools based in California that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Merced 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 Merced. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Merced College

Merced, CA 2.0 miles from Merced
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
51.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,815
Avg net price $5,040/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege 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
Palo Alto University Palo Alto, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 92.2 94 mi
San Jose State University San Jose, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.3 77 mi
De Anza College Cupertino, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.8 86 mi
California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.6 26 mi
California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.2 90 mi
California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.5 53 mi
California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Yes Yes Yes No 75.7 86 mi
University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Yes Yes No Yes 75.4 65 mi
Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA Yes Yes No No 72.4 97 mi
Unitek College Fremont, CA Yes Yes No Yes 71.6 83 mi

California has 146 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the California page lists them all.

Military installations near Merced

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Merced
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plnt Army 37 mi
Fresno Yosemite International Air Force National Guard Air Force 56 mi
Defense Distribution Region West Sharpe Site Other 57 mi
San Joaquin Depot Tracy Other 58 mi
Naval Air Station Lemoore Navy 75 mi
Navpmossp Mountain View Other 85 mi
Coast Guard Station Rio Vis Coast Guard 88 mi
Naval Support Detachment Monterey Navy School Annex Navy 91 mi

Common post-service careers near Merced

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $138,570 CA statewide $140,966
Logisticians $74,820 Merced, CA metro $76,114
Emergency Management Directors $129,910 CA statewide $132,157
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $82,540 Merced, CA metro $83,967
Medical and Health Services Managers $114,510 Merced, CA metro $116,490
Project Management Specialists $103,850 Merced, CA metro $105,646
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $98,060 Merced, CA metro $99,756
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $108,040 Merced, CA metro $109,908

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 Merced

  • California State University-Stanislaus (Turlock, CA), 26 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.