Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Modesto, CA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Modesto 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); 9 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Riverbank Army Ammunition Plnt, about 7 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 2 Navy, 1 Coast Guard, 4 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is California State University-Stanislaus in Turlock, CA, about 11 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of California-Berkeley. Modesto has a population of about 218,614 and a median household income of $77,899; 20.3 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Modesto

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

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

Sort:
#1

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA 1.0 miles from Modesto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
64.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,368
Avg net price $2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 92

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
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA Yes Yes No Yes 93.9 71 mi
Palo Alto University Palo Alto, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 92.2 67 mi
San Jose State University San Jose, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.3 52 mi
California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.7 68 mi
De Anza College Cupertino, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.8 61 mi
California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.6 11 mi
California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.2 58 mi
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.9 81 mi
California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.5 90 mi
College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.8 73 mi

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

Military installations near Modesto

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Modesto
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plnt Army 7 mi
Defense Distribution Region West Sharpe Site Other 20 mi
San Joaquin Depot Tracy Other 22 mi
Coast Guard Station Rio Vis Coast Guard 52 mi
Navpmossp Mountain View Other 58 mi
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach (Concord Detachment) Navy 59 mi
Military Ocean Terminal Concord Other 60 mi
Naval Support Detachment Monterey Dixon Transmitter Navy 66 mi

Common post-service careers near Modesto

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Modesto, 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 $133,112
Logisticians $85,130 Modesto, CA metro $81,777
Emergency Management Directors $129,910 CA statewide $124,793
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $98,230 Modesto, CA metro $94,361
Medical and Health Services Managers $138,950 Modesto, CA metro $133,477
Project Management Specialists $102,490 Modesto, CA metro $98,453
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $99,000 Modesto, CA metro $95,101
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $107,390 Modesto, CA metro $103,160

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 Modesto

  • California State University-Stanislaus (Turlock, CA), 11 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.