Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near South Lake Tahoe, CA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of South Lake Tahoe 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); 5 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Reno Tahoe Iap, about 40 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 3 Navy, 2 Air Force, 1 Marine Corps, 1 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Western Nevada College in Carson City, NV, about 20 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State University-Sacramento. South Lake Tahoe has a population of about 21,319 and a median household income of $73,940; 34.0 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near South Lake Tahoe

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

Lake Tahoe Community College

South Lake Tahoe, CA 1.0 miles from South Lake Tahoe
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
30.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,657
Avg net price $8,516/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,131
Out‑of‑state$11,103
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

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 University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.7 82 mi
University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Yes Yes No Yes 75.4 98 mi
University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV Yes Yes Yes Yes 67.3 43 mi
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 66.6 97 mi
Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, NV Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.0 45 mi
Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses Stockton, CA Yes Yes No No 58.5 97 mi
Cosumnes River College Sacramento, CA Yes Yes No Yes 56.7 85 mi
Western Nevada College Carson City, NV Yes Yes Yes Yes 56.1 20 mi
Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA Yes Yes No Yes 51.7 86 mi
William Jessup University Rocklin, CA Yes Yes No Yes 51.5 71 mi

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

Military installations near South Lake Tahoe

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from South Lake Tahoe
Reno Tahoe Iap Other 40 mi
Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport Marine Corps 44 mi
Naval Air Station Fallon (Target B-16) Navy 65 mi
Naval Air Station Fallon (Target B-19) Navy 74 mi
Naval Air Station Fallon Navy 76 mi
Hawthorne Army Dep Army 76 mi
Beale AFB Air Force 77 mi
McClellan AFB Air Force 79 mi

Common post-service careers near South Lake Tahoe

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $133,570 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $125,183
Logisticians $85,780 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $80,394
Emergency Management Directors $107,430 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $100,684
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $111,460 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $104,461
Medical and Health Services Managers $159,350 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $149,344
Project Management Specialists $124,350 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $116,542
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $104,800 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $98,219
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $114,990 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro $107,769

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 South Lake Tahoe

  • Western Nevada College (Carson City, NV), 20 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.