Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Wilkes-Barre, PA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Wilkes-Barre 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); 8 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Scranton Army Ammunition Plnt, about 15 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Army, 2 National Guard, 3 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Binghamton University in Vestal, NY, about 58 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is New Jersey Institute of Technology. Wilkes-Barre has a population of about 44,217 and a median household income of $47,970; 19.4 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Wilkes-Barre

Schools based in Pennsylvania that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Wilkes-Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre. 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

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA 0.8 miles from Wilkes-Barre
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
55.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,454
Avg net price $27,743/yr
Tuition
In‑state$43,496
Out‑of‑state$43,496
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege 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
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.1 95 mi
Binghamton University Vestal, NY Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.5 58 mi
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.1 91 mi
Villanova University Villanova, PA Yes Yes Yes Yes 77.6 88 mi
The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ Yes Yes No No 77.3 89 mi
Rutgers University-Camden Camden, NJ Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.8 98 mi
Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.3 89 mi
Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.2 95 mi
Saint Joseph’s University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.5 93 mi
Holy Family University Philadelphia, PA Yes Yes Yes No 74.0 94 mi

Pennsylvania has 78 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Pennsylvania page lists them all.

Military installations near Wilkes-Barre

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Wilkes-Barre
Scranton Army Ammunition Plnt Army 15 mi
Tobyhanna Army Dep Army 23 mi
Fort Indiantown Gap Training Site Army 68 mi
Picatinny Arsenal Other 72 mi
National Guard Spring City Readiness Center National Guard 75 mi
Graterford Fms Other 75 mi
Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna Other 88 mi
National Guard Lawrenceville National Guard 90 mi

Common post-service careers near Wilkes-Barre

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area where BLS publishes it.

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $100,210 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $107,062
Logisticians $72,090 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $77,019
Emergency Management Directors $81,550 PA statewide $87,126
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $72,210 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $77,147
Medical and Health Services Managers $99,340 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $106,132
Project Management Specialists $91,820 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $98,098
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $81,160 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $86,709
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $99,540 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro $106,346

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 Wilkes-Barre

None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of Wilkes-Barre; the nearest is Binghamton University at 58 miles.

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.