Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Saint Joseph, MO

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Saint Joseph 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 Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, about 4 miles away, and 6 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 2 Air Force, 2 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of Missouri-Kansas City in Kansas City, MO, about 52 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Kansas.

Military-friendly online colleges near Saint Joseph

Schools based in Missouri that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Saint Joseph 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 Joseph. 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

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, MO 1.9 miles from Saint Joseph
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
37.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,647
Avg net price $13,251/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 50

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 Kansas Lawrence, KS Yes Yes Yes Yes 72.0 60 mi
Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO Yes Yes No No 71.0 52 mi
University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO Yes Yes Yes Yes 64.9 52 mi
Ottawa University-Kansas City Overland Park, KS Yes Yes Yes No 61.1 58 mi
Ottawa University-Online Overland Park, KS Yes Yes Yes No 60.9 58 mi
North Central Missouri College Trenton, MO Yes Yes Yes No 60.2 67 mi
Baker University Baldwin City, KS Yes Yes Yes Yes 57.9 71 mi
Southwestern Community College Creston, IA Yes Yes Yes No 57.2 94 mi
Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS Yes Yes Yes Yes 55.0 58 mi
University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Yes Yes Yes Yes 54.8 90 mi

Missouri has 47 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Missouri page lists them all.

Military installations near Saint Joseph

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Saint Joseph
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base Air Force 4 mi
Fort Leavenworth Army 28 mi
Lake City Army Ammunition Plnt Army 55 mi
Kansas Ag Other 69 mi
Forbes Field Ang Other 72 mi
Whiteman AFB Air Force 98 mi

Common post-service careers near Saint Joseph

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $103,440 MO statewide $119,722
Logisticians $74,780 St. Joseph, MO-KS metro $86,551
Emergency Management Directors $75,660 MO statewide $87,569
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $58,170 St. Joseph, MO-KS metro $67,326
Medical and Health Services Managers $98,080 St. Joseph, MO-KS metro $113,519
Project Management Specialists $89,670 St. Joseph, MO-KS metro $103,785
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $74,110 St. Joseph, MO-KS metro $85,775
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $104,540 St. Joseph, MO-KS metro $120,995

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 Joseph

None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of Saint Joseph; the nearest is University of Missouri-Kansas City at 52 miles.

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.