Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > San Diego
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of San Diego 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 3 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (5 Navy, 2 Marine Corps, 1 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA, about 5 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. San Diego has a population of about 1,385,061 and a median household income of $104,321; 49.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near San Diego
Schools based in California that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from San Diego 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 San Diego.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,548
Avg net price
$22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 73
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,414
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,404
Avg net price
$31,266/yr
TuitionIn‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Key stats
- Retention rate: 33%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,120
Avg net price
$5,814/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,146
Out‑of‑state$10,002
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
18%
Avg net price
$12,480/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 2
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,666
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,909
Avg net price
$15,364/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Key stats
- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 133
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
14%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$80,980
TuitionIn‑state$6,780
Out‑of‑state$6,780
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,891
Avg net price
$52,570/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 5
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,998
Avg net price
$38,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 59
Source:IPEDS · College 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 |
94 mi |
| California State University-Long Beach |
Long Beach, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
86.2 |
87 mi |
| California State University-Fullerton |
Fullerton, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
85.3 |
85 mi |
| University of California-Riverside |
Riverside, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
84.1 |
80 mi |
| San Diego State University |
San Diego, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
83.7 |
5 mi |
| California State University-San Bernardino |
San Bernardino, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
78.4 |
94 mi |
| West Coast University-Orange County |
Anaheim, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
76.0 |
82 mi |
| Pacific College |
Costa Mesa, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
75.6 |
73 mi |
| California State University-San Marcos |
San Marcos, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
75.5 |
21 mi |
| ATA College |
El Cajon, CA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
73.3 |
8 mi |
California has 146 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the California page lists them all.
Military installations near San Diego
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from San Diego |
| Naval Base San Diego Mission Gorge |
Navy |
3 mi |
| Marine Corps Air Station Miramar |
Marine Corps |
4 mi |
| Naval Base Point Loma (Old Town Campus) |
Navy |
7 mi |
| Naval Medical Center San Diego |
Navy |
7 mi |
| Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego |
Marine Corps |
8 mi |
| Naval Base San Diego (Broadway Complex) |
Navy |
9 mi |
| Naval Submarine Base San Diego |
Navy |
9 mi |
| Nb San Diego Dryside |
Other |
10 mi |
Common post-service careers near San Diego
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.
Campuses within 30 miles of San Diego
- San Diego State University (San Diego, CA), 5 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- ATA College (El Cajon, CA), 8 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- California State University-San Marcos (San Marcos, CA), 21 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.
