Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Billings, MT

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Montana > Billings

Key takeaway: 3 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Billings 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); 2 report all four services the federal survey tracks. No military installation is recorded within 100 miles of Billings in the Census Bureau’s layer. 2 of the 3 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Northwest College. Billings has a population of about 118,321 and a median household income of $71,855; 37.0 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Billings

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

Rocky Mountain College

Billings, MT 0.5 miles from Billings
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
41.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 70%
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,036
Avg net price $19,751/yr
Tuition
In‑state$35,582
Out‑of‑state$35,582
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Montana State University Billings

Billings, MT 1.4 miles from Billings
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
33.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,296
Avg net price $16,524/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,280
Out‑of‑state$22,897
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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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
Northwest College Powell, WY Yes Yes Yes Yes 59.3 72 mi
Rocky Mountain College Billings, MT Yes Yes Yes No 41.6 1 mi
Montana State University Billings Billings, MT Yes Yes Yes Yes 33.7 1 mi

Montana has 12 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Montana page lists them all.

Military installations near Billings

The Census Bureau’s installation layer records no military installation within 100 miles of Billings.

Common post-service careers near Billings

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $86,010 Billings, MT metro $91,989
Logisticians $79,440 Billings, MT metro $84,963
Emergency Management Directors $62,770 MT statewide $67,134
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $72,070 Billings, MT metro $77,080
Medical and Health Services Managers $107,750 Billings, MT metro $115,241
Project Management Specialists $85,540 Billings, MT metro $91,487
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $80,880 Billings, MT metro $86,503
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $104,460 Billings, MT metro $111,722

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 Billings

  • Rocky Mountain College (Billings, MT), 1 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • Montana State University Billings (Billings, MT), 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.