Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near South Bend, IN

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Indiana > South Bend

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of South Bend 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 Fort Custer Training Center, about 65 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Navy, 1 Air Force, 2 Coast Guard, 3 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI, about 20 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Purdue University-Main Campus. South Bend has a population of about 102,866 and a median household income of $52,512; 29.4 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near South Bend

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

South Bend, IN 2.6 miles from South Bend
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
43.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,947
Avg net price $8,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 63

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
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.0 93 mi
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Yes Yes No Yes 81.6 71 mi
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.6 72 mi
National University of Health Sciences Lombard, IL Yes Yes No No 76.0 91 mi
University of St Francis Joliet, IL Yes Yes Yes No 74.9 95 mi
Lewis University Romeoville, IL Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.8 94 mi
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN Yes Yes Yes No 71.6 43 mi
Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI Yes Yes Yes No 71.1 93 mi
Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI Yes Yes Yes No 70.4 20 mi
Dominican University River Forest, IL Yes Yes Yes No 68.6 82 mi

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

Military installations near South Bend

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from South Bend
Fort Custer Training Center Army 65 mi
Grissom AFB Air Force 70 mi
Grissom Arb Other 71 mi
Coast Guard Station Holland Coast Guard 76 mi
Glenview Other 86 mi
Naval Station Great Lakes Navy 92 mi
Great Lakes Camp John Paul Jones Other 92 mi
Coast Guard Station Grand Haven Coast Guard 96 mi

Common post-service careers near South Bend

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $85,070 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $91,572
Logisticians $71,360 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $76,814
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $77,070 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $82,960
Medical and Health Services Managers $103,330 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $111,227
Project Management Specialists $84,820 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $91,302
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $82,890 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $89,225
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $100,100 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI metro $107,750

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 South Bend

  • Andrews University (Berrien Springs, MI), 20 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.