Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > Santa Ana
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Santa Ana 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 Los Alamitos Reserve Center and Air Station, about 10 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 2 Navy, 1 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 1 Reserve, 2 Other). 5 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Pacific College in Costa Mesa, CA, about 4 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. Santa Ana has a population of about 311,639 and a median household income of $88,354; 18.0 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Santa Ana
Schools based in California that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,552
Avg net price
$3,133/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 88
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · 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 | 22 mi |
| California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 86.2 | 14 mi |
| California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 85.3 | 10 mi |
| University of California-Riverside | Riverside, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 84.1 | 36 mi |
| San Diego State University | San Diego, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 83.7 | 81 mi |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 80.2 | 30 mi |
| California State University-San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 78.4 | 44 mi |
| West Coast University-Orange County | Anaheim, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 76.0 | 5 mi |
| California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 75.7 | 73 mi |
| Pacific College | Costa Mesa, CA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 75.6 | 4 mi |
California has 146 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the California page lists them all.
Military installations near Santa Ana
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from Santa Ana |
|---|
| Los Alamitos Reserve Center and Air Station | Reserve | 10 mi |
| Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station | Navy | 10 mi |
| Long Beach Fuel Complx | Other | 20 mi |
| Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Corona | Navy | 22 mi |
| Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Bch | Coast Guard | 22 mi |
| Fort McArthur Family Housing Annex | Army | 23 mi |
| Defense Fuel Support Point San Pedro | Other | 24 mi |
| Los Angeles Air Force Base (Area B) | Air Force | 31 mi |
Common post-service careers near Santa Ana
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $129,630 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $114,111 |
| Logisticians | $81,730 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $71,945 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $130,020 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $114,454 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $121,980 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $107,377 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $134,230 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $118,160 |
| Project Management Specialists | $108,310 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $95,343 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $106,290 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $93,565 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $127,500 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro | $112,236 |
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 Santa Ana
- Pacific College (Costa Mesa, CA), 4 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- West Coast University-Orange County (Anaheim, CA), 5 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- California State University-Fullerton (Fullerton, CA), 10 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- California State University-Long Beach (Long Beach, CA), 14 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (Pomona, CA), 22 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.
