Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near South Portland, ME

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Maine > South Portland

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of South Portland 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); 8 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Coast Guard Base South Portland, about 2 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Navy, 1 Air Force, 2 Coast Guard, 2 National Guard). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of New Hampshire-Main Campus in Durham, NH, about 47 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Northeastern University Professional Programs. South Portland has a population of about 26,780 and a median household income of $84,563; 49.3 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near South Portland

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

Southern Maine Community College

South Portland, ME 3.2 miles from South Portland
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
46.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,661
Avg net price $11,086/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

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
Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.9 98 mi
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.5 100 mi
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.7 47 mi
University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.2 74 mi
University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.2 85 mi
MCPHS University Boston, MA Yes Yes No No 69.0 98 mi
Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 68.5 98 mi
Emerson College Boston, MA Yes Yes No No 67.3 97 mi
Endicott College Beverly, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.9 79 mi
Salem State University Salem, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 62.4 84 mi

Maine has 17 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Maine page lists them all.

Military installations near South Portland

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from South Portland
Coast Guard Base South Portland Coast Guard 2 mi
National Guard Hollis Plains Training Site National Guard 19 mi
Naval Air Station Brunswick Navy 26 mi
National Guard Auburn Training Site National Guard 31 mi
Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard 36 mi
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Navy Housing) Navy 43 mi
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Navy 44 mi
Pease Air National Guard Base Air Force 46 mi

Common post-service careers near South Portland

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $103,440 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $101,511
Logisticians $78,060 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $76,605
Emergency Management Directors $84,050 ME statewide $82,483
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $73,600 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $72,228
Medical and Health Services Managers $127,650 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $125,270
Project Management Specialists $105,530 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $103,562
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $92,520 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $90,795
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $110,570 Portland-South Portland, ME metro $108,508

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 Portland

None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of South Portland; the nearest is University of New Hampshire-Main Campus at 47 miles.

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.