Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Kansas > Hays
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Hays 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); 1 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is National Guard Salina Ks Training Center, about 90 miles away (National Guard). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Salina Area Technical College. Hays has a population of about 21,078 and a median household income of $56,861; 43.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Hays
Schools based in Kansas that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Hays 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 Hays.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,928
Avg net price
$12,569/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 53
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 |
| Salina Area Technical College |
Salina, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
78.9 |
91 mi |
| Fort Hays State University |
Hays, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
59.7 |
1 mi |
| Colby Community College |
Colby, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
57.8 |
99 mi |
| Hutchinson Community College |
Hutchinson, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
57.3 |
94 mi |
| Pratt Community College |
Pratt, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
56.9 |
91 mi |
| Dodge City Community College |
Dodge City, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
55.2 |
86 mi |
| Barton County Community College |
Great Bend, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
50.8 |
46 mi |
| Central Christian College of Kansas |
McPherson, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
37.2 |
96 mi |
| Kansas Wesleyan University |
Salina, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
36.1 |
92 mi |
| Sterling College |
Sterling, KS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
31.0 |
75 mi |
Kansas has 42 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Kansas page lists them all.
Military installations near Hays
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Hays |
| National Guard Salina Ks Training Center |
National Guard |
90 mi |
Common post-service careers near Hays
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS).
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
| Information Security Analysts |
$100,620 |
KS statewide |
| Logisticians |
$69,520 |
KS statewide |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$68,000 |
KS statewide |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$59,230 |
KS statewide |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$111,030 |
KS statewide |
| Project Management Specialists |
$100,010 |
KS statewide |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$83,340 |
KS statewide |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$106,130 |
KS statewide |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; these are statewide medians.
Campuses within 30 miles of Hays
- Fort Hays State University (Hays, KS), 1 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.
