Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Naperville, IL

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Naperville 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 Glenview, about 29 miles away, and 7 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Navy, 2 Coast Guard, 1 National Guard, 3 Other). 5 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Lewis University in Romeoville, IL, about 11 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Saint Anthony College of Nursing. Naperville has a population of about 149,424 and a median household income of $150,937; 71.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Naperville

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

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

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#1

North Central College

Naperville, IL 2.2 miles from Naperville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
67.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,123
Avg net price $21,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)

SchoolLocationCredit for military trainingDedicated military contactDoD MOU memberStudent veteran orgBOC ScoreDistance
Saint Anthony College of NursingRockford, ILYesYesYesNo87.357 mi
Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, ILYesYesNoYes81.628 mi
University of Illinois ChicagoChicago, ILYesYesYesYes79.628 mi
National University of Health SciencesLombard, ILYesYesNoNo76.011 mi
Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WIYesYesYesYes75.390 mi
University of St FrancisJoliet, ILYesYesYesNo74.915 mi
Milwaukee School of EngineeringMilwaukee, WIYesYesYesYes74.091 mi
Lewis UniversityRomeoville, ILYesYesYesYes73.811 mi
Illinois State UniversityNormal, ILYesYesYesYes71.996 mi
Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, INYesYesYesNo71.661 mi

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

Military installations near Naperville

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau)Branch (from the name)Distance from Naperville
GlenviewOther29 mi
Great Lakes Camp John Paul JonesOther41 mi
Army National Guard Marseilles Training CenterNational Guard42 mi
Naval Station Great LakesNavy42 mi
Coast Guard Station KenoshaCoast Guard61 mi
General Mitchell International Airport Airguard StationOther84 mi
Coast Guard Station MilwaukeeCoast Guard88 mi

Common post-service careers near Naperville

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

OccupationMedian annual wageScopeCost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts$125,310Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$120,956
Logisticians$79,900Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$77,124
Emergency Management Directors$101,130Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$97,616
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$107,810Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$104,064
Medical and Health Services Managers$123,090Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$118,813
Project Management Specialists$105,320Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$101,660
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$103,170Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$99,585
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$124,120Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro$119,807

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 Naperville

  • Lewis University (Romeoville, IL), 11 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • National University of Health Sciences (Lombard, IL), 11 mi, 2 of 4 services reported
  • University of St Francis (Joliet, IL), 15 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • University of Illinois Chicago (Chicago, IL), 28 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL), 28 mi, 3 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.