Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Santa Ana, CA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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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:

  • 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.

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

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#1

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 1.6 miles from Santa Ana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,552
Avg net price $3,133/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 88

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege 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.