Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Kankakee, IL

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Kankakee 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 Army National Guard Marseilles Training Center, about 44 miles away, and 7 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Navy, 1 Air Force, 1 National Guard, 4 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of St Francis in Joliet, IL, about 32 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Kankakee has a population of about 24,384 and a median household income of $45,119; 12.5 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Kankakee

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

Kankakee Community College

Kankakee, IL 0.7 miles from Kankakee
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
53.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,767
Avg net price $4,665/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,220
Out‑of‑state$25,830
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege 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 72 mi
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.0 68 mi
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Yes Yes No Yes 81.6 52 mi
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.6 54 mi
National University of Health Sciences Lombard, IL Yes Yes No No 76.0 53 mi
University of St Francis Joliet, IL Yes Yes Yes No 74.9 32 mi
Bradley University Peoria, IL Yes Yes Yes No 74.1 96 mi
Lewis University Romeoville, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.8 37 mi
Illinois State University Normal, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 71.9 72 mi
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN Yes Yes Yes No 71.6 50 mi

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

Military installations near Kankakee

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Kankakee
Army National Guard Marseilles Training Center National Guard 44 mi
Glenview Other 68 mi
Great Lakes Camp John Paul Jones Other 83 mi
Naval Station Great Lakes Navy 84 mi
Newport Chemical Dep Other 89 mi
Grissom Arb Other 95 mi
Grissom AFB Air Force 95 mi

Common post-service careers near Kankakee

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $124,180 IL statewide $128,817
Logisticians $77,460 Kankakee, IL metro $80,353
Emergency Management Directors $83,820 IL statewide $86,950
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $78,840 Kankakee, IL metro $81,784
Medical and Health Services Managers $103,720 Kankakee, IL metro $107,593
Project Management Specialists $95,790 Kankakee, IL metro $99,367
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $79,310 Kankakee, IL metro $82,272
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $107,910 Kankakee, IL metro $111,940

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 Kankakee

None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of Kankakee; the nearest is University of St Francis at 32 miles.

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.