Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Hickory, NC

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Hickory 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 Charlotte Douglas International Airport, about 43 miles away, and 3 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 National Guard, 1 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton, NC, about 20 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Carolinas College of Health Sciences. Hickory has a population of about 43,747 and a median household income of $63,361; 35.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Hickory

Schools based in North Carolina that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Hickory 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 Hickory. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Hickory, NC 0.3 miles from Hickory
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
41.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 85%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,543
Avg net price $20,689/yr
Tuition
In‑state$31,900
Out‑of‑state$31,900
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Catawba Valley Community College

Hickory, NC 3.6 miles from Hickory
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
50.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,977
Avg net price $10,528/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege 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
Carolinas College of Health Sciences Charlotte, NC Yes Yes Yes No 83.9 45 mi
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences Concord, NC Yes Yes No No 79.6 46 mi
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton Elizabethton, TN Yes Yes No No 73.8 64 mi
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 72.0 45 mi
Appalachian State University Boone, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 69.9 38 mi
Bob Jones University Greenville, SC Yes Yes Yes No 59.3 84 mi
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 59.3 88 mi
Western Piedmont Community College Morganton, NC Yes Yes No No 58.4 20 mi
Surry Community College Dobson, NC Yes Yes Yes No 57.7 56 mi
Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock, NC Yes Yes Yes Yes 57.3 69 mi

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

Military installations near Hickory

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Hickory
Charlotte Douglas International Airport Other 43 mi
National Guard Johnson City Gray National Guard 80 mi
Holston Army Ammunition Plnt Army 91 mi

Common post-service careers near Hickory

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $115,250 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $130,226
Logisticians $74,220 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $83,864
Emergency Management Directors $93,840 NC statewide $106,034
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $52,260 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $59,051
Medical and Health Services Managers $106,590 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $120,441
Project Management Specialists $85,490 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $96,599
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $80,970 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $91,492
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $94,750 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro $107,062

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 Hickory

  • Western Piedmont Community College (Morganton, NC), 20 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.