Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Florida > Estero
Key takeaway: 8 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Estero 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 Coast Guard Station Fort Myers, about 10 miles away, and 3 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 1 Other). 3 of the 8 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL, about 3 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Florida International University. Estero has a population of about 37,258 and a median household income of $100,459; 49.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Estero
Schools based in Florida that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Estero 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Estero.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
63%
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,560
Avg net price
$12,568/yr
TuitionIn‑state$6,118
Out‑of‑state$25,162
Key stats
- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,421
Avg net price
$7,247/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,318
Avg net price
$22,356/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,086
Avg net price
$19,748/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 45%
- Programs offered: 22
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,209
Avg net price
$30,371/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 131
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,606
Avg net price
$29,529/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 48%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,249
Avg net price
$9,288/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 129
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,421
Avg net price
$20,271/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 12
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,540
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)
Florida has 76 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Florida page lists them all.
Military installations near Estero
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Estero |
| Coast Guard Station Fort Myers |
Coast Guard |
10 mi |
| Arbuckle Airfield |
Other |
89 mi |
| Avon Park Air Force Range |
Air Force |
91 mi |
Common post-service careers near Estero
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$131,500 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$128,543 |
| Logisticians |
$67,500 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$65,982 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$99,020 |
FL statewide |
$96,794 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$76,710 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$74,985 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$109,960 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$107,488 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$96,600 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$94,428 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$82,750 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$80,890 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$87,210 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro |
$85,249 |
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 Estero
- Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers, FL), 3 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- Florida SouthWestern State College (Fort Myers, FL), 10 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- Hodges University (Fort Myers, FL), 13 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.
