Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Lafayette, LA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Louisiana > Lafayette

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Lafayette 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 Louisiana National Guard Gillis Long Center, about 54 miles away, and 7 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Coast Guard, 2 National Guard, 1 Reserve, 1 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Lafayette, LA, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. Lafayette has a population of about 121,537 and a median household income of $61,454; 40.6 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Lafayette

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

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA 0.7 miles from Lafayette
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
53.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,089
Avg net price $13,530/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

South Louisiana Community College

Lafayette, LA 1.3 miles from Lafayette
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
40.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,432
Avg net price $12,564/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,210
Out‑of‑state$4,210
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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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
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Yes Yes Yes Yes 71.8 53 mi
Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria, LA Yes Yes No No 57.4 80 mi
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA Yes Yes Yes Yes 53.3 1 mi
Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA Yes Yes No Yes 50.6 79 mi
SOWELA Technical Community College Lake Charles, LA Yes Yes Yes No 49.8 68 mi
McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA Yes Yes Yes No 46.2 71 mi
River Parishes Community College Gonzales, LA Yes Yes Yes No 46.0 66 mi
Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA Yes Yes Yes Yes 45.8 96 mi
Fletcher Technical Community College Schriever, LA Yes Yes No Yes 45.6 81 mi
Baton Rouge Community College Baton Rouge, LA Yes Yes Yes Yes 43.7 56 mi

Louisiana has 31 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Louisiana page lists them all.

Military installations near Lafayette

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Lafayette
Louisiana National Guard Gillis Long Center National Guard 54 mi
Armed Forces Reserve Center Reserve 54 mi
Coast Guard Station Grangeville Coast Guard 80 mi
Smr Camp Beauregard Other 83 mi
National Guard Esler Fld National Guard 84 mi
Fort Polk Army 84 mi
Camp Beauregard Army 86 mi

Common post-service careers near Lafayette

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $83,030 Lafayette, LA metro $95,218
Logisticians $72,670 Lafayette, LA metro $83,337
Emergency Management Directors $96,550 LA statewide $110,722
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $49,900 Lafayette, LA metro $57,225
Medical and Health Services Managers $103,270 Lafayette, LA metro $118,429
Project Management Specialists $80,720 Lafayette, LA metro $92,569
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $88,300 Lafayette, LA metro $101,261
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $88,990 Lafayette, LA metro $102,053

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 Lafayette

  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Lafayette, LA), 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.