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)

SchoolLocationCredit for military trainingDedicated military contactDoD MOU memberStudent veteran orgBOC ScoreDistance
Mount Carmel College of NursingColumbus, OHYesYesNoNo87.964 mi
Ohio State University-Main CampusColumbus, OHYesYesYesYes80.765 mi
University of DaytonDayton, OHYesYesYesYes74.73 mi
Ohio University-Chillicothe CampusChillicothe, OHYesYesYesNo71.471 mi
The Christ College of Nursing and Health SciencesCincinnati, OHYesYesYesNo68.948 mi
Miami University-OxfordOxford, OHYesYesYesYes67.434 mi
MyComputerCareer at ColumbusColumbus, OHYesYesYesNo65.871 mi
Taylor UniversityUpland, INYesYesNoNo65.683 mi
Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OHYesYesYesYes65.346 mi
Kettering CollegeKettering, OHYesYesNoNo64.56 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 AFBAir Force9 mi
Springfield Beckley Municipal AirportOther20 mi
United States Army Joint Systems Manufacturing Center LimaArmy64 mi
National Guard Beightler ArmoryNational Guard64 mi
National Guard Rickenbacker (Maneuver Training Area)National Guard66 mi
Naval Operational Support Center ColumbusNavy67 mi
Ohio Air National Guard 121st Air Refueling Wing-RickenbackerAir Force67 mi
KnightatownOther70 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.

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