Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Lakeland, FL

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Florida > Lakeland

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Lakeland 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 Macdill AFB, about 37 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Navy, 3 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 3 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of South Florida in Tampa, FL, about 28 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of South Florida. Lakeland has a population of about 117,030 and a median household income of $60,947; 27.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Lakeland

Schools based in Florida that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Lakeland 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 Lakeland. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Florida Southern College

Lakeland, FL 1.6 miles from Lakeland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,294
Avg net price $28,551/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 2.8 miles from Lakeland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
32.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 53%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,744
Avg net price $31,942/yr
Tuition
In‑state$32,950
Out‑of‑state$32,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege 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
University of South Florida Tampa, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.8 28 mi
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.8 59 mi
St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.6 46 mi
Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.6 79 mi
Lake-Sumter State College Leesburg, FL Yes Yes Yes No 62.1 54 mi
Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 61.8 62 mi
Hillsborough Community College Tampa, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 61.2 32 mi
Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 59.8 96 mi
The University of Tampa Tampa, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 58.0 32 mi
College of Central Florida Ocala, FL Yes Yes Yes Yes 56.5 78 mi

Florida has 76 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Florida page lists them all.

Military installations near Lakeland

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Lakeland
Macdill AFB Air Force 37 mi
Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater Coast Guard 46 mi
Arbuckle Airfield Other 47 mi
Avon Park Air Force Range Air Force 49 mi
Naval Support Activity Orlando Navy 59 mi
Pinecastle Ew Range Other 75 mi
Malabar Transmitter Annex Other 78 mi
Patrick AFB Air Force 83 mi

Common post-service careers near Lakeland

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $100,470 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $103,471
Logisticians $73,480 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $75,675
Emergency Management Directors $99,020 FL statewide $101,977
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $66,700 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $68,692
Medical and Health Services Managers $107,300 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $110,505
Project Management Specialists $94,720 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $97,549
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $95,160 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $98,002
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $99,980 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro $102,966

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 Lakeland

  • University of South Florida (Tampa, FL), 28 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.