Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Washington, DC

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > District of Columbia > Washington

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Washington 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 Support Activity Washington, about 2 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 3 Navy, 1 Air Force, 1 Marine Corps, 1 Other). 5 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is George Washington University in Washington, DC, about 2 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Maryland-College Park. Washington has a population of about 672,079 and a median household income of $106,287; 63.6 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Washington

Schools based in District of Columbia that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Washington 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 Washington. 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

University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus

Washington, DC 0.9 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
70.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,961
Tuition
In‑state$6,660
Out‑of‑state$6,660
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Strayer University-District of Columbia

Washington, DC 1.0 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
36.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
Tuition
In‑state$13,920
Out‑of‑state$13,920
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Strayer University-Global Region

Washington, DC 1.0 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
26.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 13%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
Avg net price $17,833/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 39%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

George Washington University

Washington, DC 1.8 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
76.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,873
Avg net price $36,586/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 194

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

The Catholic University of America

Washington, DC 2.2 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
71.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,250
Avg net price $29,561/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 93

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Georgetown University

Washington, DC 3.1 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
79.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 13%
Graduation rate 95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $103,494
Avg net price $40,815/yr
Tuition
In‑state$68,017
Out‑of‑state$68,017
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 128

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of the District of Columbia

Washington, DC 3.8 miles from Washington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
57.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,236
Avg net price $10,648/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege 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
University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 89.1 7 mi
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 88.8 36 mi
University of Delaware Newark, DE Yes Yes Yes Yes 83.5 86 mi
University of Management and Technology Arlington, VA Yes Yes No No 82.8 3 mi
George Mason University Fairfax, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.5 16 mi
Georgetown University Washington, DC Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.6 3 mi
Towson University Towson, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.6 40 mi
George Washington University Washington, DC Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.5 2 mi
Ascent College Gainesville, VA Yes Yes No No 73.3 33 mi
Carroll Community College Westminster, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 72.5 43 mi

District of Columbia has 7 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the District of Columbia page lists them all.

Military installations near Washington

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Washington
Naval Support Activity Washington Navy 2 mi
Fort Lesley J McNair Army 3 mi
United States Naval Observatory Navy 3 mi
Fort Myer Army 4 mi
Headquarters Marine Corps Marine Corps 4 mi
Arlington Service Center Other 4 mi
Bolling AFB Air Force 4 mi
Naval Research Lab Navy 6 mi

Common post-service careers near Washington

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area where BLS publishes it.

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $148,950 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $136,777
Logisticians $104,330 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $95,803
Emergency Management Directors $163,220 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $149,881
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $84,000 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $77,135
Medical and Health Services Managers $140,670 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $129,174
Project Management Specialists $127,030 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $116,648
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $125,430 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $115,179
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $129,050 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro $118,503

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 Washington

  • George Washington University (Washington, DC), 2 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Management and Technology (Arlington, VA), 3 mi, 2 of 4 services reported
  • Georgetown University (Washington, DC), 3 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Maryland-College Park (College Park, MD), 7 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • George Mason University (Fairfax, VA), 16 mi, 4 of 4 services reported

Nearby cities

No other city pages in this state yet.

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.