Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Athens, GA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Georgia > Athens

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Athens 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 Cumming Army Guard, about 47 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Air Force, 5 National Guard). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of Georgia in Athens, GA, about 0 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Georgia.

Military-friendly online colleges near Athens

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

Athens, GA 0.5 miles from Athens
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
88.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,726
Avg net price $13,936/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 241

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Athens Technical College

Athens, GA 3.2 miles from Athens
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,951
Avg net price $6,949/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege 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 Georgia Athens, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 88.3 0 mi
Clemson University Clemson, SC Yes Yes No Yes 80.4 59 mi
Mercer University Macon, GA Yes Yes Yes No 63.8 79 mi
Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.3 60 mi
Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.0 94 mi
Southwestern Community College Sylva, NC Yes Yes Yes No 62.2 97 mi
Bob Jones University Greenville, SC Yes Yes Yes No 59.3 86 mi
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 58.5 70 mi
Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 55.0 40 mi
Wesleyan College Macon, GA Yes Yes Yes No 54.6 77 mi

Georgia has 65 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Georgia page lists them all.

Military installations near Athens

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Athens
Cumming Army Guard Army 47 mi
National Guard Oglethorpe Armory National Guard 59 mi
National Guard Atlanta-Confederate Avenue National Guard 59 mi
National Guard Mta Clarks Hill Reservation National Guard 64 mi
Dobbins Air Reserve Base Air Force 66 mi
General Lucius D Clay National Guard Center National Guard 67 mi
National Guard Macon Rti National Guard 77 mi
Fort Gordon Army 77 mi

Common post-service careers near Athens

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $128,970 GA statewide $138,232
Logisticians $63,440 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro $67,996
Emergency Management Directors $83,200 GA statewide $89,175
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $60,710 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro $65,070
Medical and Health Services Managers $126,420 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro $135,498
Project Management Specialists $82,430 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro $88,349
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $73,430 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro $78,703
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $122,180 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro $130,954

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 Athens

  • University of Georgia (Athens, GA), 0 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.