Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Charleston, IL

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Illinois > Charleston

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Charleston 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); 7 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Newport Chemical Dep, about 46 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Navy, 1 National Guard, 3 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL, about 0 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Charleston has a population of about 17,212 and a median household income of $49,057; 34.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Charleston

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

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL 0.3 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,989
Avg net price $12,786/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 76

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 Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 90.0 43 mi
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.0 93 mi
Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN Yes Yes Yes Yes 82.4 91 mi
Illinois State University Normal, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 71.9 83 mi
University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 65.0 78 mi
Oakland City University Oakland City, IN Yes Yes Yes No 59.5 91 mi
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney, IL Yes Yes Yes No 57.4 52 mi
Lincoln Land Community College Springfield, IL Yes Yes Yes No 57.3 78 mi
Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 56.4 0 mi
Kaskaskia College Centralia, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 54.8 84 mi

Illinois has 71 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Illinois page lists them all.

Military installations near Charleston

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Charleston
Newport Chemical Dep Other 46 mi
Hulman Fld Other 47 mi
National Guard Springfield Training Site Camp Lincoln National Guard 83 mi
Capital Airport Other 83 mi
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Navy 86 mi

Common post-service careers near Charleston

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS).

Occupation Median annual wage Scope
Information Security Analysts $124,180 IL statewide
Logisticians $80,100 IL statewide
Emergency Management Directors $83,820 IL statewide
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $100,520 IL statewide
Medical and Health Services Managers $117,850 IL statewide
Project Management Specialists $103,470 IL statewide
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $100,080 IL statewide
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $120,250 IL statewide

BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; these are statewide medians.

Campuses within 30 miles of Charleston

  • Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL), 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.