Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Illinois > Pekin
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Pekin 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 Capital Airport, about 50 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 2 National Guard, 2 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Bradley University in Peoria, IL, about 9 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Pekin has a population of about 31,812 and a median household income of $58,355; 18.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Pekin
Schools based in Illinois that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Pekin 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Pekin.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,852
Avg net price
$22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 97
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
88%
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,117
Avg net price
$19,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,144
Out‑of‑state$28,210
Key stats
- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 112
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,163
Avg net price
$12,937/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 60%
- Programs offered: 83
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,103
Avg net price
$9,833/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 48
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,262
Avg net price
$21,989/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 71
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,575
Avg net price
$18,298/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 39
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,743
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,054
Avg net price
$14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 177
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,213
Avg net price
$20,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,926
Avg net price
$13,006/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 54
Source:IPEDS · College 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 |
80 mi |
| Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences |
Rock Island, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
78.2 |
80 mi |
| Bradley University |
Peoria, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
74.1 |
9 mi |
| Illinois State University |
Normal, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
71.9 |
34 mi |
| University of Illinois Springfield |
Springfield, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
65.0 |
58 mi |
| Carl Sandburg College |
Galesburg, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
64.8 |
50 mi |
| Orion Technical College |
Davenport, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
64.5 |
83 mi |
| Saint Ambrose University |
Davenport, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
62.5 |
84 mi |
| Sauk Valley Community College |
Dixon, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
59.1 |
86 mi |
| Illinois College |
Jacksonville, IL |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
58.7 |
66 mi |
Illinois has 71 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Illinois page lists them all.
Military installations near Pekin
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Pekin |
| Capital Airport |
Other |
50 mi |
| National Guard Springfield Training Site Camp Lincoln |
National Guard |
51 mi |
| Army National Guard Marseilles Training Center |
National Guard |
70 mi |
| Rock Island Arsenal |
Other |
81 mi |
| Iowa Army Ammunition Plnt |
Army |
86 mi |
Common post-service careers near Pekin
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Peoria, IL metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$132,090 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$144,836 |
| Logisticians |
$85,930 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$94,221 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$83,820 |
IL statewide |
$91,908 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$76,670 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$84,068 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$110,510 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$121,173 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$123,730 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$135,669 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$102,630 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$112,533 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$120,250 |
Peoria, IL metro |
$131,853 |
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 Pekin
- Bradley University (Peoria, IL), 9 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.
