Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Normal, IL

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Normal 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 Army National Guard Marseilles Training Center, about 55 miles away, and 4 installations sit within 100 miles (2 National Guard, 2 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Illinois State University in Normal, IL, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Normal has a population of about 52,908 and a median household income of $66,350; 52.5 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Normal

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

Illinois State University

Normal, IL 0.9 miles from Normal
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
71.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,117
Avg net price $19,398/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,144
Out‑of‑state$28,210
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 112

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Heartland Community College

Normal, IL 1.6 miles from Normal
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
51.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,768
Avg net price $12,013/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,550
Out‑of‑state$13,110
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege 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 Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 90.0 49 mi
University of St Francis Joliet, IL Yes Yes Yes No 74.9 84 mi
Bradley University Peoria, IL Yes Yes Yes No 74.1 35 mi
Lewis University Romeoville, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.8 89 mi
Illinois State University Normal, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 71.9 1 mi
North Central College Naperville, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 67.2 97 mi
Aurora University Aurora, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 66.4 91 mi
Kishwaukee College Malta, IL Yes Yes Yes No 66.2 98 mi
University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 65.0 64 mi
Carl Sandburg College Galesburg, IL Yes Yes No Yes 64.8 81 mi

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

Military installations near Normal

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Normal
Army National Guard Marseilles Training Center National Guard 55 mi
Capital Airport Other 59 mi
National Guard Springfield Training Site Camp Lincoln National Guard 60 mi
Newport Chemical Dep Other 93 mi

Common post-service careers near Normal

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $125,110 Bloomington, IL metro $133,807
Logisticians $78,030 Bloomington, IL metro $83,455
Emergency Management Directors $83,820 IL statewide $89,647
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $80,480 Bloomington, IL metro $86,075
Medical and Health Services Managers $109,290 Bloomington, IL metro $116,888
Project Management Specialists $101,110 Bloomington, IL metro $108,139
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $97,580 Bloomington, IL metro $104,364
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $100,390 Bloomington, IL metro $107,369

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 Normal

  • Illinois State University (Normal, IL), 1 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.