Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Durham, NC

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > North Carolina > Durham

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Durham 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); 6 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is National Guard Raleigh, about 16 miles away, and 7 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Army, 2 Air Force, 1 National Guard, 1 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC, about 9 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Centra College. Durham has a population of about 288,465 and a median household income of $79,234; 55.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Durham

Schools based in North Carolina that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Durham 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 Durham. 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

North Carolina Central University

Durham, NC 0.5 miles from Durham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
46.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,968
Avg net price $15,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 52

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
Centra College Lynchburg, VA Yes Yes No No 95.9 100 mi
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 91.9 9 mi
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 84.6 19 mi
East Carolina University Greenville, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 68.3 90 mi
Johnston Community College Smithfield, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 64.4 46 mi
Longwood University Farmville, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 61.9 95 mi
Central Carolina Community College Sanford, NC Yes Yes Yes No 60.6 38 mi
Meredith College Raleigh, NC Yes Yes No No 59.6 17 mi
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 59.3 51 mi
Sandhills Community College Pinehurst, NC Yes Yes Yes No 58.9 60 mi

North Carolina has 92 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the North Carolina page lists them all.

Military installations near Durham

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Durham
National Guard Raleigh National Guard 16 mi
Mta Camp Butner Other 16 mi
Pope AFB Air Force 56 mi
Fort Bragg Army 60 mi
Seymour Johnson AFB Air Force 69 mi
Camp Mackall Army 73 mi
Fort Pickett Army 92 mi

Common post-service careers near Durham

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $129,670 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $132,859
Logisticians $84,300 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $86,373
Emergency Management Directors $100,830 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $103,309
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $60,100 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $61,578
Medical and Health Services Managers $133,970 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $137,264
Project Management Specialists $104,870 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $107,449
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $110,640 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $113,361
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $116,310 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro $119,170

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 Durham

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC), 9 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Meredith College (Raleigh, NC), 17 mi, 2 of 4 services reported
  • North Carolina State University at Raleigh (Raleigh, NC), 19 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.