Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Lowell, MA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Massachusetts > Lowell

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Lowell 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); 7 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Hanscom AFB, about 13 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Navy, 2 Air Force, 1 Coast Guard, 1 National Guard, 2 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA, about 22 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Northeastern University Professional Programs. Lowell has a population of about 114,799 and a median household income of $76,205; 29.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Lowell

Schools based in Massachusetts that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Lowell 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 Lowell. 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 Massachusetts-Lowell

Lowell, MA 1.0 miles from Lowell
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
73.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,874
Avg net price $17,163/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 97

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 24 mi
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA Yes Yes Yes No 79.0 64 mi
Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA Yes Yes Yes No 78.9 72 mi
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.5 22 mi
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT Yes Yes Yes Yes 78.2 74 mi
Providence College Providence, RI Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.3 55 mi
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.7 40 mi
Bryant University Smithfield, RI Yes Yes No No 74.3 51 mi
University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.2 25 mi
University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.1 80 mi

Massachusetts has 45 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Massachusetts page lists them all.

Military installations near Lowell

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Lowell
Hanscom AFB Air Force 13 mi
National Guard Mta Camp Curtis Guil National Guard 14 mi
Coast Guard Station Boston Coast Guard 23 mi
Soldier Systems Center Natick Other 24 mi
New Boston Air Station Other 27 mi
Pease Air National Guard Base Air Force 40 mi
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Navy 43 mi
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Navy Housing) Navy 43 mi

Common post-service careers near Lowell

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $136,550 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $126,085
Logisticians $101,540 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $93,758
Emergency Management Directors $126,570 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $116,870
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $78,180 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $72,188
Medical and Health Services Managers $136,760 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $126,279
Project Management Specialists $114,990 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $106,177
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $116,770 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $107,821
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $128,760 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro $118,892

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 Lowell

  • Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA), 22 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Northeastern University Professional Programs (Boston, MA), 24 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of New Hampshire at Manchester (Manchester, NH), 25 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.