Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Aiken, SC (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > South Carolina > Aiken

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Aiken 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); 7 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Fort Gordon, about 32 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Navy, 2 Air Force, 1 Marine Corps, 2 National Guard). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Augusta University in Augusta, GA, about 16 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Georgia. Aiken has a population of about 32,334 and a median household income of $69,837; 45.1 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Aiken

Schools based in South Carolina that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Aiken 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 Aiken. 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

University of South Carolina Aiken

Aiken, SC 3.7 miles from Aiken
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
44.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,603
Avg net price $11,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 32

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
University of Georgia Athens, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 88.3 99 mi
University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.1 52 mi
Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.3 92 mi
Bob Jones University Greenville, SC Yes Yes Yes No 59.3 100 mi
Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 56.6 76 mi
Augusta University Augusta, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 54.4 16 mi
Athens Technical College Athens, GA Yes Yes Yes No 54.3 98 mi
Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC Yes Yes Yes Yes 52.5 97 mi
Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College Orangeburg, SC Yes Yes Yes No 51.5 52 mi
Ogeechee Technical College Statesboro, GA Yes Yes Yes Yes 50.1 79 mi

South Carolina has 38 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the South Carolina page lists them all.

Military installations near Aiken

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Aiken
Fort Gordon Army 32 mi
National Guard Mta Clarks Hill Reservation National Guard 37 mi
North Air Force Auxiliary Fld Air Force 38 mi
McEntire Joint National Guard Base National Guard 60 mi
Fort Jackson Army 63 mi
Shaw AFB Air Force 79 mi
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Marine Corps 91 mi
Naval Hospital Beaufort Navy 99 mi

Common post-service careers near Aiken

Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area where BLS publishes it.

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $106,110 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $115,462
Logisticians $84,090 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $91,502
Emergency Management Directors $93,680 SC statewide $101,937
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $58,390 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $63,536
Medical and Health Services Managers $120,700 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $131,338
Project Management Specialists $101,280 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $110,207
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $90,510 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $98,487
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $124,100 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro $135,038

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 Aiken

  • Augusta University (Augusta, GA), 16 mi, 4 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.