Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Aurora, CO

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Colorado > Aurora

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Aurora 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 Operational Support Center Denver, about 1 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Navy, 5 Air Force, 1 Other). 6 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver, CO, about 6 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Colorado School of Mines. Aurora has a population of about 390,201 and a median household income of $84,320; 32.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Aurora

Schools based in Colorado that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Aurora 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 Aurora. 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

Community College of Aurora

Aurora, CO 4.1 miles from Aurora
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
47.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,592
Avg net price $8,656/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,470
Out‑of‑state$17,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege 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
Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.3 27 mi
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.6 36 mi
University of Denver Denver, CO Yes Yes No Yes 70.4 13 mi
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 69.6 63 mi
Laramie County Community College Cheyenne, WY Yes Yes Yes Yes 67.1 96 mi
Red Rocks Community College Lakewood, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 64.2 22 mi
Regis University Denver, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 62.1 17 mi
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 61.7 6 mi
Front Range Community College Westminster, CO Yes Yes Yes Yes 61.3 21 mi
Morgan Community College Fort Morgan, CO Yes Yes Yes No 59.9 63 mi

Colorado has 28 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Colorado page lists them all.

Military installations near Aurora

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Aurora
Naval Operational Support Center Denver Navy 1 mi
Buckley AFB Air Force 2 mi
Peterson AFB Air Force 61 mi
Schriever AFB Air Force 64 mi
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station Air Force 67 mi
United States Air Force Academy Auxiliary Airfield Air Force 69 mi
Fort Carson Army 79 mi
Pueblo Chemical Dep Other 99 mi

Common post-service careers near Aurora

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $136,670 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $129,178
Logisticians $97,290 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $91,957
Emergency Management Directors $136,930 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $129,423
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $101,970 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $96,380
Medical and Health Services Managers $137,760 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $130,208
Project Management Specialists $116,740 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $110,340
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $105,090 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $99,329
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $135,220 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro $127,807

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 Aurora

  • University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus (Denver, CO), 6 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Denver (Denver, CO), 13 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • Regis University (Denver, CO), 17 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Front Range Community College (Westminster, CO), 21 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Red Rocks Community College (Lakewood, CO), 22 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO), 27 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.