Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Saint Cloud, MN

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Saint Cloud 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 National Guard St Cloud Armory, about 2 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Air Force, 2 National Guard). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is St Cloud Technical and Community College in Saint Cloud, MN, about 3 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Military-friendly online colleges near Saint Cloud

Schools based in Minnesota that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Saint Cloud 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 Saint Cloud. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN 1.6 miles from Saint Cloud
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
54.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,813
Avg net price $13,529/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 123

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

St Cloud Technical and Community College

Saint Cloud, MN 3.1 miles from Saint Cloud
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
63.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,874
Avg net price $9,635/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)

SchoolLocationCredit for military trainingDedicated military contactDoD MOU memberStudent veteran orgBOC ScoreDistance
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis, MNYesYesYesYes83.960 mi
Alexandria Technical & Community CollegeAlexandria, MNYesYesYesNo74.562 mi
University of St ThomasSaint Paul, MNYesYesYesYes73.563 mi
Dunwoody College of TechnologyMinneapolis, MNYesYesNoYes73.358 mi
Dakota County Technical CollegeRosemount, MNYesYesYesYes72.277 mi
Ridgewater CollegeWillmar, MNYesYesYesNo68.752 mi
Bethel UniversitySaint Paul, MNYesYesYesNo68.359 mi
Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MNYesYesYesYes66.463 mi
Martin Luther CollegeNew Ulm, MNYesYesYesNo64.686 mi
St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MNYesYesNoYes63.73 mi

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

Military installations near Saint Cloud

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau)Branch (from the name)Distance from Saint Cloud
National Guard St Cloud ArmoryNational Guard2 mi
Camp RipleyArmy47 mi
Twin Cities Army Ammunition PlntArmy58 mi
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport Air Reserve StationAir Force65 mi
National Guard Rosemount ArmoryNational Guard74 mi

Common post-service careers near Saint Cloud

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

OccupationMedian annual wageScopeCost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts$95,450St. Cloud, MN metro$108,961
Logisticians$73,280St. Cloud, MN metro$83,653
Emergency Management Directors$106,880MN statewide$122,009
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$76,880St. Cloud, MN metro$87,763
Medical and Health Services Managers$121,040St. Cloud, MN metro$138,174
Project Management Specialists$96,390St. Cloud, MN metro$110,034
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$92,020St. Cloud, MN metro$105,046
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$95,760St. Cloud, MN metro$109,315

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 Saint Cloud

  • St Cloud Technical and Community College (Saint Cloud, MN), 3 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.