BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Missouri > Columbia
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Columbia 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 National Guard Training Site Ike Skelton, about 31 miles away, and 4 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Air Force, 2 National Guard). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of Missouri-Columbia in Columbia, MO, about 0 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Missouri University of Science and Technology. Columbia has a population of about 127,200 and a median household income of $64,488; 56.5 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Schools based in Missouri that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Columbia 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.
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:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Columbia. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rolla, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 79.2 | 75 mi |
| University of Missouri-Columbia | Columbia, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 75.7 | 0 mi |
| Truman State University | Kirksville, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 74.7 | 87 mi |
| John Wood Community College | Quincy, IL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 61.9 | 85 mi |
| University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 54.8 | 77 mi |
| Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies | Fayette, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 54.2 | 24 mi |
| Moberly Area Community College | Moberly, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 52.4 | 33 mi |
| St Charles Community College | Cottleville, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 51.7 | 92 mi |
| Lindenwood University | Saint Charles, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50.7 | 99 mi |
| Stephens College | Columbia, MO | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 50.2 | 0 mi |
Missouri has 47 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Missouri page lists them all.
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| National Guard Training Site Ike Skelton | National Guard | 31 mi |
| National Guard Macon Training Site | National Guard | 49 mi |
| Whiteman AFB | Air Force | 68 mi |
| Fort Leonard Wood | Army | 85 mi |
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Columbia, MO metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $97,600 | Columbia, MO metro | $109,172 |
| Logisticians | $72,180 | Columbia, MO metro | $80,738 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $75,660 | MO statewide | $84,631 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $62,080 | Columbia, MO metro | $69,441 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $111,760 | Columbia, MO metro | $125,011 |
| Project Management Specialists | $80,870 | Columbia, MO metro | $90,459 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $78,610 | Columbia, MO metro | $87,931 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $105,640 | Columbia, MO metro | $118,166 |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; rows marked with the metro name are metro medians, the rest are statewide.
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.
