Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Palm Desert, CA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Palm Desert 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 Air Station North Island (Cleveland National Forest Survival Training), about 33 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Navy, 2 Air Force, 3 Marine Corps, 1 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of California-Riverside in Riverside, CA, about 57 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. Palm Desert has a population of about 51,551 and a median household income of $79,508; 39.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Palm Desert

Schools based in California that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Palm Desert 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 Palm Desert. 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

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA 1.1 miles from Palm Desert
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
47.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,020
Avg net price $15,728/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • 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
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.7 86 mi
California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 85.3 88 mi
University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 84.1 57 mi
San Diego State University San Diego, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 83.7 78 mi
California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.4 63 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 87 mi
California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.5 62 mi
ATA College El Cajon, CA Yes Yes Yes No 73.3 73 mi
Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 72.9 91 mi

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

Military installations near Palm Desert

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Palm Desert
Naval Air Station North Island (Cleveland National Forest Survival Training) Navy 33 mi
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms Marine Corps 52 mi
March AFB Air Force 52 mi
March Air Reserve Base Air Force 52 mi
Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station (Fallbrook Annex) Navy 59 mi
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps 64 mi
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton Marine Corps 64 mi
Shade Tree Range Other 65 mi

Common post-service careers near Palm Desert

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $114,970 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $108,055
Logisticians $77,370 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $72,716
Emergency Management Directors $136,270 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $128,073
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $101,870 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $95,742
Medical and Health Services Managers $135,010 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $126,889
Project Management Specialists $100,770 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $94,709
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $99,030 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $93,073
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $98,700 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro $92,763

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 Palm Desert

None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of Palm Desert; the nearest is University of California-Riverside at 57 miles.

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.