Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Bloomington, MN

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Minnesota > Bloomington

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Bloomington 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); 6 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station, about 7 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Air Force, 3 National Guard). 5 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, MN, about 10 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Bloomington has a population of about 88,838 and a median household income of $90,677; 45.3 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Bloomington

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

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN 0.8 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
48.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,207
Avg net price $12,972/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 41

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
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Yes Yes Yes Yes 83.9 11 mi
University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN Yes Yes Yes Yes 73.5 10 mi
Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN Yes Yes No Yes 73.3 10 mi
Dakota County Technical College Rosemount, MN Yes Yes Yes Yes 72.2 13 mi
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Winona, MN Yes Yes Yes No 71.4 97 mi
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 69.6 89 mi
Ridgewater College Willmar, MN Yes Yes Yes No 68.7 89 mi
Bethel University Saint Paul, MN Yes Yes Yes No 68.3 17 mi
Winona State University Winona, MN Yes Yes Yes Yes 66.8 99 mi
Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 66.6 89 mi

Minnesota has 50 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Minnesota page lists them all.

Military installations near Bloomington

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Bloomington
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station Air Force 7 mi
National Guard Rosemount Armory National Guard 11 mi
Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plnt Army 20 mi
National Guard St Cloud Armory National Guard 66 mi
National Guard Rochester Nga & Oms 2 National Guard 72 mi

Common post-service careers near Bloomington

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area where BLS publishes it.

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $130,710 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $124,723
Logisticians $83,990 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $80,143
Emergency Management Directors $111,950 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $106,823
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $97,190 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $92,739
Medical and Health Services Managers $126,880 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $121,069
Project Management Specialists $97,860 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $93,378
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $102,790 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $98,082
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $124,600 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro $118,893

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 Bloomington

  • Dunwoody College of Technology (Minneapolis, MN), 10 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • University of St Thomas (Saint Paul, MN), 10 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN), 11 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Dakota County Technical College (Rosemount, MN), 13 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Bethel University (Saint Paul, MN), 17 mi, 3 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.