Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Albuquerque, NM

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Key takeaway: 9 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Albuquerque 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. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Kirtland AFB, about 12 miles away, and 4 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Air Force, 2 National Guard, 1 Other). 3 of the 9 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of New Mexico-Main Campus in Albuquerque, NM, about 2 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque. Albuquerque has a population of about 562,488 and a median household income of $65,604; 38.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Albuquerque

Schools based in New Mexico that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque. 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

University of New Mexico-Main Campus

Albuquerque, NM 2.2 miles from Albuquerque
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
50.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,792
Avg net price $15,489/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 128

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, NM 2.6 miles from Albuquerque
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • Student veteran org
51.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,869
Avg net price $4,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 125

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque

Albuquerque, NM 3.0 miles from Albuquerque
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
53.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,917
Avg net price $21,084/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

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
Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque Albuquerque, NM Yes Yes No No 53.7 3 mi
New Mexico State University-Grants Grants, NM Yes Yes Yes No 52.6 68 mi
Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM Yes Yes No Yes 51.8 3 mi
University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM Yes Yes Yes Yes 50.2 2 mi
Santa Fe Community College Santa Fe, NM Yes Yes No Yes 46.6 50 mi
Northern New Mexico College Espanola, NM Yes Yes Yes Yes 46.0 70 mi
Navajo Technical University Crownpoint, NM Yes Yes No No 43.0 94 mi
New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, NM Yes Yes Yes No 41.2 87 mi
Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development Santa Fe, NM Yes Yes No No 33.0 49 mi

New Mexico has 19 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the New Mexico page lists them all.

Military installations near Albuquerque

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Albuquerque
Kirtland AFB Air Force 12 mi
National Guard Rio Rancho Training Site National Guard 19 mi
National Guard Santa Fe-Oñate Complex Training Site National Guard 45 mi
White Sands Missile Range Other 84 mi

Common post-service careers near Albuquerque

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $129,560 Albuquerque, NM metro $135,665
Logisticians $101,270 Albuquerque, NM metro $106,042
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $73,380 Albuquerque, NM metro $76,838
Medical and Health Services Managers $125,470 Albuquerque, NM metro $131,382
Project Management Specialists $106,730 Albuquerque, NM metro $111,759
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $86,540 Albuquerque, NM metro $90,618
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $101,120 Albuquerque, NM metro $105,885

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 Albuquerque

  • University of New Mexico-Main Campus (Albuquerque, NM), 2 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Central New Mexico Community College (Albuquerque, NM), 3 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque (Albuquerque, NM), 3 mi, 2 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.