
Gulf Coast State College
- 5230 West U.S. Highway 98 Panama City, FL 32401
- (850) 769-1551
- Visit website
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
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Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Florida > Panama City
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Panama City 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); 6 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Naval Support Activity Panama City, about 8 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Navy, 2 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 2 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, FL, about 7 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Florida State University. Panama City has a population of about 34,211 and a median household income of $61,125; 25.5 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Schools based in Florida that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Panama City 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.
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:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Panama City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 86.4 | 81 mi |
| Northwest Florida State College | Niceville, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 67.0 | 56 mi |
| University of West Florida | Pensacola, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 66.7 | 99 mi |
| Gulf Coast State College | Panama City, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 64.4 | 7 mi |
| Chipola College | Marianna, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 64.2 | 47 mi |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Tallahassee, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 61.8 | 81 mi |
| Pensacola State College | Pensacola, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 61.5 | 96 mi |
| Lurleen B Wallace Community College | Andalusia, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 59.2 | 92 mi |
| Tallahassee State College | Tallahassee, FL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 58.9 | 78 mi |
| George C Wallace Community College-Dothan | Dothan, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 48.5 | 78 mi |
Florida has 76 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Florida page lists them all.
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from Panama City |
|---|---|---|
| Naval Support Activity Panama City | Navy | 8 mi |
| Coast Guard Station Panama City | Coast Guard | 9 mi |
| Tyndall AFB | Air Force | 12 mi |
| Cape San Blas Tracking Annex D-3 | Other | 40 mi |
| Eglin AFB | Air Force | 61 mi |
| Hurlburt Fld | Other | 68 mi |
| Naval Outlying Landing Field Holley | Navy | 78 mi |
| Naval Outlying Landing Field Choctaw | Navy | 83 mi |
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $116,880 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $120,123 |
| Logisticians | $88,610 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $91,069 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $99,020 | FL statewide | $101,768 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $58,750 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $60,380 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $100,760 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $103,556 |
| Project Management Specialists | $92,360 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $94,923 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $92,990 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $95,570 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $88,340 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro | $90,791 |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; rows marked with the metro name are metro medians, the rest are statewide.
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.