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Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > National City
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of National City 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 Nb San Diego National City, about 1 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (4 Navy, 4 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA, about 8 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State University-Long Beach. National City has a population of about 55,960 and a median household income of $64,248; 16.9 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 National City 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 National City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 86.2 | 97 mi |
| California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 85.3 | 96 mi |
| University of California-Riverside | Riverside, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 84.1 | 91 mi |
| San Diego State University | San Diego, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 83.7 | 8 mi |
| West Coast University-Orange County | Anaheim, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 76.0 | 92 mi |
| Pacific College | Costa Mesa, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 75.6 | 83 mi |
| California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 75.5 | 32 mi |
| ATA College | El Cajon, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 73.3 | 13 mi |
| Saddleback College | Mission Viejo, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 71.2 | 70 mi |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 68.1 | 10 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 National City |
|---|---|---|
| Nb San Diego National City | Other | 1 mi |
| Naval Station San Diego | Navy | 2 mi |
| Nb San Diego Dryside | Other | 2 mi |
| Amphibious Base Coronado East | Other | 3 mi |
| Naval Medical Center San Diego | Navy | 5 mi |
| Silver Strand Training Complx | Other | 5 mi |
| Naval Base San Diego (Broadway Complex) | Navy | 5 mi |
| Naval Air Station North Island | Navy | 7 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.
