Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Dayton, OH

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Dayton 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 Wright-Patterson AFB, about 9 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Navy, 2 Air Force, 2 National Guard, 2 Other). 2 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of Dayton in Dayton, OH, about 3 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Mount Carmel College of Nursing. Dayton has a population of about 136,741 and a median household income of $43,454; 20.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Dayton

Schools based in Ohio that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Dayton 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 Dayton. 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

Sinclair Community College

Dayton, OH 1.5 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,558
Avg net price $5,992/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 160

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH 3.1 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
74.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,537
Avg net price $29,533/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Wright State University-Main Campus

Dayton, OH 7.2 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,500
Avg net price $15,415/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 117

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
Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH Yes Yes No No 87.9 64 mi
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH Yes Yes Yes Yes 80.7 65 mi
University of Dayton Dayton, OH Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.7 3 mi
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH Yes Yes Yes No 71.4 71 mi
The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences Cincinnati, OH Yes Yes Yes No 68.9 48 mi
Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH Yes Yes Yes Yes 67.4 34 mi
MyComputerCareer at Columbus Columbus, OH Yes Yes Yes No 65.8 71 mi
Taylor University Upland, IN Yes Yes No No 65.6 83 mi
Xavier University Cincinnati, OH Yes Yes Yes Yes 65.3 46 mi
Kettering College Kettering, OH Yes Yes No No 64.5 6 mi

Ohio has 91 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Ohio page lists them all.

Military installations near Dayton

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Dayton
Wright-Patterson AFB Air Force 9 mi
Springfield Beckley Municipal Airport Other 20 mi
United States Army Joint Systems Manufacturing Center Lima Army 64 mi
National Guard Beightler Armory National Guard 64 mi
National Guard Rickenbacker (Maneuver Training Area) National Guard 66 mi
Naval Operational Support Center Columbus Navy 67 mi
Ohio Air National Guard 121st Air Refueling Wing-Rickenbacker Air Force 67 mi
Knightatown Other 70 mi

Common post-service careers near Dayton

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $111,430 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $120,205
Logisticians $105,060 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $113,333
Emergency Management Directors $94,690 OH statewide $102,147
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $76,310 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $82,319
Medical and Health Services Managers $103,560 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $111,715
Project Management Specialists $98,130 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $105,858
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $95,680 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $103,215
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $97,980 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro $105,696

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 Dayton

  • University of Dayton (Dayton, OH), 3 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Kettering College (Kettering, OH), 6 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.