Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near South Pasadena, CA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > California > South Pasadena

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of South Pasadena 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 Angeles Air Force Base (Area B), about 18 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 University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, about 10 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. South Pasadena has a population of about 26,297 and a median household income of $128,105; 72.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near South Pasadena

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

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA 3.0 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
58.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,485
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 3.1 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
73.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,211
Avg net price $3,967/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Abraham Lincoln University

Glendale, CA 6.2 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
23.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Avg net price $28,584/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 7.1 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

California College of ASU

Los Angeles, CA 7.6 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,014
Avg net price $17,683/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 45%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA 9.4 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
59.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,950
Avg net price $14,379/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 90

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

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#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 9.5 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 267

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, CA 9.8 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
21.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,632
Avg net price $30,980/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#9

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA 10.6 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
35.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,633
Avg net price $39,011/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#10

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 15.0 miles from South Pasadena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
59.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,537
Avg net price $9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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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 20 mi
California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.2 23 mi
California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 85.3 22 mi
University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 84.1 48 mi
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.2 10 mi
California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.4 48 mi
West Coast University-Orange County Anaheim, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.0 25 mi
California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.7 51 mi
Pacific College Costa Mesa, CA Yes Yes Yes No 75.6 34 mi
California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.5 89 mi

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

Military installations near South Pasadena

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from South Pasadena
Los Angeles Air Force Base (Area B) Air Force 18 mi
Los Alamitos Reserve Center and Air Station Reserve 23 mi
Defense Fuel Support Point San Pedro Other 25 mi
Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station Navy 25 mi
Long Beach Fuel Complx Other 26 mi
Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Bch Coast Guard 27 mi
Fort McArthur Family Housing Annex Army 28 mi
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Corona Navy 36 mi

Common post-service careers near South Pasadena

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 South Pasadena

  • University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), 10 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (Pomona, CA), 20 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • California State University-Fullerton (Fullerton, CA), 22 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • California State University-Long Beach (Long Beach, CA), 23 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • West Coast University-Orange County (Anaheim, CA), 25 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.