Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Gary, IN (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Indiana > Gary

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Gary 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); 3 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Glenview, about 43 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Navy, 1 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 1 National Guard, 4 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN, about 18 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Saint Anthony College of Nursing. Gary has a population of about 68,604 and a median household income of $37,380; 14.3 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Gary

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

Indiana University-Northwest

Gary, IN 2.4 miles from Gary
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
44.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,361
Avg net price $5,130/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 47

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
Saint Anthony College of Nursing Rockford, IL Yes Yes Yes No 87.3 98 mi
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.0 83 mi
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Yes Yes No Yes 81.6 22 mi
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.6 25 mi
National University of Health Sciences Lombard, IL Yes Yes No No 76.0 39 mi
University of St Francis Joliet, IL Yes Yes Yes No 74.9 39 mi
Lewis University Romeoville, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.8 38 mi
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN Yes Yes Yes No 71.6 18 mi
Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Yes Yes Yes No 70.4 57 mi
Dominican University River Forest, IL Yes Yes Yes No 68.6 33 mi

Indiana has 33 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Indiana page lists them all.

Military installations near Gary

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Gary
Glenview Other 43 mi
Great Lakes Camp John Paul Jones Other 56 mi
Naval Station Great Lakes Navy 56 mi
Army National Guard Marseilles Training Center National Guard 72 mi
Coast Guard Station Kenosha Coast Guard 73 mi
Grissom AFB Air Force 89 mi
Grissom Arb Other 90 mi
General Mitchell International Airport Airguard Station Other 97 mi

Common post-service careers near Gary

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.

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

  • Valparaiso University (Valparaiso, IN), 18 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL), 22 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • University of Illinois Chicago (Chicago, IL), 25 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.