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Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Pennsylvania > State College
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of State College 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 Hollidaysburg, about 38 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Army, 1 Navy, 1 National Guard, 3 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA, about 45 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Carroll Community College. State College has a population of about 40,669 and a median household income of $47,132; 70.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Schools based in Pennsylvania that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from State College 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.
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:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from State College. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Community College | Westminster, MD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 72.5 | 98 mi |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport, PA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 71.8 | 53 mi |
| Blue Ridge Community and Technical College | Martinsburg, WV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 71.1 | 94 mi |
| Frederick Community College | Frederick, MD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 71.1 | 95 mi |
| Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, PA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 68.1 | 80 mi |
| Saint Francis University | Loretto, PA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 68.0 | 45 mi |
| York College of Pennsylvania | York, PA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 66.2 | 83 mi |
| Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 65.5 | 63 mi |
| McDaniel College | Westminster, MD | Yes | Yes | No | No | 64.8 | 95 mi |
| Lebanon Valley College | Annville, PA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 64.7 | 77 mi |
Pennsylvania has 78 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Pennsylvania page lists them all.
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from State College |
|---|---|---|
| National Guard Hollidaysburg | National Guard | 38 mi |
| Letterkenny Army Dep | Army | 54 mi |
| Carlisle Barracks | Other | 54 mi |
| Naval Ship Parts Control Center Mechanicsburg | Navy | 60 mi |
| Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna | Other | 67 mi |
| Fort Indiantown Gap Training Site | Army | 69 mi |
| Ewvra Shepherd Fld | Other | 96 mi |
| Fort Detrick | Army | 96 mi |
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the State College, PA metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logisticians | $79,340 | PA statewide | $81,963 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $81,550 | PA statewide | $84,246 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $70,510 | State College, PA metro | $72,841 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $102,590 | State College, PA metro | $105,981 |
| Project Management Specialists | $81,820 | State College, PA metro | $84,525 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $78,520 | State College, PA metro | $81,116 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $76,640 | State College, PA metro | $79,174 |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; rows marked with the metro name are metro medians, the rest are statewide.
None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of State College; the nearest is Saint Francis University at 45 miles.
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.
