Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Iowa > Ames
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Ames 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 Des Moins Iap, about 33 miles away (Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Iowa State University in Ames, IA, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Allen College. Ames has a population of about 66,112 and a median household income of $60,102; 63.5 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Ames
Schools based in Iowa that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Ames 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 Ames.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,386
Avg net price
$18,589/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 169
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 |
| Allen College |
Waterloo, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
93.0 |
74 mi |
| Iowa State University |
Ames, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
76.9 |
1 mi |
| Drake University |
Des Moines, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
72.1 |
29 mi |
| University of Northern Iowa |
Cedar Falls, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
68.9 |
69 mi |
| Marshalltown Community College |
Marshalltown, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
59.9 |
37 mi |
| Mercy College of Health Sciences |
Des Moines, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
58.6 |
30 mi |
| Southwestern Community College |
Creston, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
57.2 |
76 mi |
| North Iowa Area Community College |
Mason City, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
57.1 |
82 mi |
| Wartburg College |
Waverly, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
56.6 |
76 mi |
| Indian Hills Community College |
Ottumwa, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
56.1 |
93 mi |
Iowa has 35 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Iowa page lists them all.
Military installations near Ames
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Ames |
| Des Moins Iap |
Other |
33 mi |
Common post-service careers near Ames
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Ames, IA metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$107,520 |
Ames, IA metro |
$121,081 |
| Logisticians |
$75,620 |
Ames, IA metro |
$85,158 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$73,700 |
IA statewide |
$82,995 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$73,840 |
Ames, IA metro |
$83,153 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$103,730 |
Ames, IA metro |
$116,813 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$97,290 |
Ames, IA metro |
$109,561 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$78,030 |
Ames, IA metro |
$87,872 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$104,930 |
Ames, IA metro |
$118,164 |
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 Ames
- Iowa State University (Ames, IA), 1 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- Drake University (Des Moines, IA), 29 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- Mercy College of Health Sciences (Des Moines, IA), 30 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.
