Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Grand Island, NE

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Grand Island 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 National Guard Grand Island Aasf/rc, about 4 miles away, and 4 installations sit within 100 miles (2 National Guard, 2 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Central Community College in Grand Island, NE, about 2 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Northeast Community College. Grand Island has a population of about 52,761 and a median household income of $62,439; 20.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Grand Island

Schools based in Nebraska that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Grand Island 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 Grand Island. 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

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE 2.3 miles from Grand Island
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
59.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,429
Avg net price $7,024/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

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
Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE Yes Yes Yes Yes 71.4 92 mi
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE Yes Yes Yes Yes 69.3 87 mi
Bryan College of Health Sciences Lincoln, NE Yes Yes Yes No 66.9 90 mi
Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, NE Yes Yes Yes No 61.0 90 mi
Central Community College Grand Island, NE Yes Yes Yes Yes 59.3 2 mi
Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE Yes Yes Yes Yes 55.6 92 mi
University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE Yes Yes Yes Yes 54.4 42 mi
Concordia University-Nebraska Seward, NE Yes Yes Yes No 54.1 66 mi
Doane University Crete, NE Yes Yes No No 50.0 76 mi
York University York, NE Yes Yes No No 37.8 41 mi

Nebraska has 22 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Nebraska page lists them all.

Military installations near Grand Island

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Grand Island
National Guard Grand Island Aasf/rc National Guard 4 mi
Greenlief Training Site Other 28 mi
National Guard Lincoln Aasf/readiness Center National Guard 84 mi
Lincoln Municipal Airport Other 84 mi

Common post-service careers near Grand Island

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $92,550 NE statewide $106,747
Logisticians $68,510 Grand Island, NE metro $79,020
Emergency Management Directors $89,740 NE statewide $103,506
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $73,710 Grand Island, NE metro $85,017
Medical and Health Services Managers $103,220 Grand Island, NE metro $119,054
Project Management Specialists $77,730 Grand Island, NE metro $89,654
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $76,610 Grand Island, NE metro $88,362
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $100,340 Grand Island, NE metro $115,732

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 Grand Island

  • Central Community College (Grand Island, NE), 2 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.