Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > New Mexico > Las Cruces
Key takeaway: 9 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Las Cruces 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); 4 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is National Guard Las Cruces, about 9 miles away, and 5 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Air Force, 1 National Guard, 2 Other). 2 of the 9 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is New Mexico State University-Dona Ana in Las Cruces, NM, about 4 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Western Technical College. Las Cruces has a population of about 112,612 and a median household income of $55,176; 37.3 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Las Cruces
Schools based in New Mexico that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Las Cruces 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Las Cruces.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,067
Avg net price
$6,048/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$39,067
Avg net price
$8,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 121
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)
New Mexico has 19 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the New Mexico page lists them all.
Military installations near Las Cruces
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Las Cruces |
| National Guard Las Cruces |
National Guard |
9 mi |
| White Sands Missile Range |
Other |
15 mi |
| Fort Bliss |
Army |
41 mi |
| Holloman AFB |
Air Force |
56 mi |
| Boles Wells Annex |
Other |
58 mi |
Common post-service careers near Las Cruces
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Las Cruces, NM metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$113,550 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$125,887 |
| Logisticians |
$79,620 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$88,271 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$145,550 |
NM statewide |
$161,364 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$60,720 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$67,317 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$99,710 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$110,543 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$82,110 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$91,031 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$86,360 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$95,743 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$83,190 |
Las Cruces, NM metro |
$92,228 |
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 Las Cruces
- New Mexico State University-Dona Ana (Las Cruces, NM), 4 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
- New Mexico State University-Main Campus (Las Cruces, NM), 4 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.
