Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Iowa > Johnston
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Johnston 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); 4 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Des Moins Iap, about 10 miles away (Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Drake University in Des Moines, IA, about 7 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Allen College. Johnston has a population of about 24,196 and a median household income of $103,430; 57.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Johnston
Schools based in Iowa that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Johnston 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 Johnston.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,901
Avg net price
$29,127/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 80
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,824
Avg net price
$21,774/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,234
Avg net price
$26,924/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 59%
- Programs offered: 10
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
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
Graduation rate
60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,361
Avg net price
$18,504/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 59%
- Programs offered: 35
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
93%
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,177
Avg net price
$15,901/yr
TuitionIn‑state$9,936
Out‑of‑state$21,712
Key stats
- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 116
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,261
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,201
Avg net price
$32,908/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 37
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$27,981
Avg net price
$14,956/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 63%
- Programs offered: 22
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,787
Avg net price
$20,168/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 48
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 |
92 mi |
| Iowa State University |
Ames, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
76.9 |
24 mi |
| Drake University |
Des Moines, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
72.1 |
7 mi |
| University of Northern Iowa |
Cedar Falls, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
68.9 |
86 mi |
| Marshalltown Community College |
Marshalltown, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
59.9 |
47 mi |
| Mercy College of Health Sciences |
Des Moines, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
58.6 |
8 mi |
| Southwestern Community College |
Creston, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
57.2 |
55 mi |
| Wartburg College |
Waverly, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
56.6 |
96 mi |
| Indian Hills Community College |
Ottumwa, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
56.1 |
82 mi |
| Hawkeye Community College |
Waterloo, IA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
54.6 |
88 mi |
Iowa has 35 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Iowa page lists them all.
Military installations near Johnston
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Johnston |
| Des Moins Iap |
Other |
10 mi |
Common post-service careers near Johnston
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$123,740 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$134,940 |
| Logisticians |
$77,860 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$84,907 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$73,700 |
IA statewide |
$80,371 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$81,810 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$89,215 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$101,550 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$110,742 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$101,150 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$110,305 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$89,800 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$97,928 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$100,880 |
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro |
$110,011 |
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 Johnston
- Drake University (Des Moines, IA), 7 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- Mercy College of Health Sciences (Des Moines, IA), 8 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- Iowa State University (Ames, IA), 24 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.
