Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Traverse City, MI

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Michigan > Traverse City

Key takeaway: 6 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Traverse City 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); 5 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Coast Guard Station Frankfort, about 33 miles away, and 6 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 5 Coast Guard). 1 of the 6 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, MI, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Ferris State University. Traverse City has a population of about 15,491 and a median household income of $71,731; 47.0 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Traverse City

Schools based in Michigan that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Traverse City 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 Traverse City. 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

Northwestern Michigan College

Traverse City, MI 1.2 miles from Traverse City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
59.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,167
Avg net price $6,231/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • 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
Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI Yes Yes Yes Yes 64.7 74 mi
Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI Yes Yes Yes Yes 60.7 90 mi
Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI Yes Yes Yes Yes 59.8 1 mi
North Central Michigan College Petoskey, MI Yes Yes Yes Yes 44.2 53 mi
Mid Michigan College Harrison, MI Yes Yes Yes Yes 39.2 68 mi
Kirtland Community College Grayling, MI Yes Yes Yes No 38.0 45 mi

Michigan has 53 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Michigan page lists them all.

Military installations near Traverse City

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Traverse City
Coast Guard Station Frankfort Coast Guard 33 mi
Camp Grayling Army 35 mi
Coast Guard Station Charlevoix Coast Guard 43 mi
Coast Guard Station Manistee Coast Guard 50 mi
Coast Guard Station Ludington Coast Guard 70 mi
Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay Coast Guard 84 mi

Common post-service careers near Traverse City

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $106,230 MI statewide $113,737
Logisticians $75,180 Traverse City, MI metro $80,493
Emergency Management Directors $87,880 MI statewide $94,090
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $66,080 Traverse City, MI metro $70,749
Medical and Health Services Managers $104,610 Traverse City, MI metro $112,002
Project Management Specialists $83,720 Traverse City, MI metro $89,636
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $91,290 Traverse City, MI metro $97,741
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $93,260 Traverse City, MI metro $99,850

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 Traverse City

  • Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City, MI), 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.