Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Erie, CO (2026)

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Erie 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 Naval Operational Support Center Denver, about 27 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Navy, 6 Air Force, 1 Other). 7 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Front Range Community College in Westminster, CO, about 9 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Colorado School of Mines. Erie has a population of about 31,927 and a median household income of $163,644; 66.5 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Erie

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

Front Range Community College

Westminster, CO 9.5 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
61.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,910
Avg net price $13,031/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 87

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Naropa University

Boulder, CO 12.1 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
26.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $28,720
Avg net price $29,179/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, CO 12.3 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
73.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,738
Avg net price $25,346/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,666
Out‑of‑state$44,918
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 108

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Regis University

Denver, CO 17.3 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
62.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,105
Avg net price $18,397/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO 20.4 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
43.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,093
Avg net price $15,327/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Colorado State University Global

Denver, CO 20.4 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
57.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,813
Avg net price $16,510/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Community College of Denver

Denver, CO 20.6 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
37.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,095
Avg net price $9,450/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,902
Out‑of‑state$17,136
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO 22.1 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
79.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 61%
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $97,335
Avg net price $28,690/yr
Tuition
In‑state$21,914
Out‑of‑state$45,824
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#9

Colorado Christian University

Lakewood, CO 22.6 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
36.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,416
Avg net price $29,500/yr
Tuition
In‑state$41,342
Out‑of‑state$41,342
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#10

Red Rocks Community College

Lakewood, CO 22.7 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
64.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,288
Avg net price $9,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)

SchoolLocationCredit for military trainingDedicated military contactDoD MOU memberStudent veteran orgBOC ScoreDistance
Colorado School of MinesGolden, COYesYesYesYes79.322 mi
University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, COYesYesYesYes73.612 mi
University of DenverDenver, COYesYesNoYes70.425 mi
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsFort Collins, COYesYesYesYes69.637 mi
Laramie County Community CollegeCheyenne, WYYesYesYesYes67.175 mi
University of WyomingLaramie, WYYesYesYesYes67.092 mi
Red Rocks Community CollegeLakewood, COYesYesYesYes64.223 mi
Regis UniversityDenver, COYesYesYesYes62.117 mi
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusDenver, COYesYesYesYes61.723 mi
Front Range Community CollegeWestminster, COYesYesYesYes61.39 mi

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

Military installations near Erie

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau)Branch (from the name)Distance from Erie
Naval Operational Support Center DenverNavy27 mi
Buckley AFBAir Force27 mi
Cheyenne Regional AirportOther78 mi
F E Warren AFBAir Force78 mi
Peterson AFBAir Force86 mi
Schriever AFBAir Force90 mi
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force StationAir Force90 mi
United States Air Force Academy Auxiliary AirfieldAir Force97 mi

Common post-service careers near Erie

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

OccupationMedian annual wageScopeCost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts$154,990Boulder, CO metro$147,329
Logisticians$100,680Boulder, CO metro$95,703
Emergency Management Directors$129,660CO statewide$123,251
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$100,060Boulder, CO metro$95,114
Medical and Health Services Managers$138,150Boulder, CO metro$131,321
Project Management Specialists$122,040Boulder, CO metro$116,008
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$109,790Boulder, CO metro$104,363
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$142,270Boulder, CO metro$135,238

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 Erie

  • Front Range Community College (Westminster, CO), 9 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO), 12 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Regis University (Denver, CO), 17 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO), 22 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Red Rocks Community College (Lakewood, CO), 23 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus (Denver, CO), 23 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Denver (Denver, CO), 25 mi, 3 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.