Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > South Carolina > Charleston
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Charleston 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 Coast Guard Station Charleston, about 3 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Navy, 1 Air Force, 2 Marine Corps, 1 Coast Guard, 1 Other). 4 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Citadel Military College of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, about 1 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Citadel Military College of South Carolina. Charleston has a population of about 152,014 and a median household income of $90,038; 57.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Charleston
Schools based in South Carolina that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Charleston 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Charleston.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,085
Avg net price
$20,723/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 43
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,416
Avg net price
$18,960/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 77
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,253
Avg net price
$1,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,898
Avg net price
$21,666/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 63%
- Programs offered: 66
Source:IPEDS · College 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 |
| Citadel Military College of South Carolina |
Charleston, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
77.1 |
1 mi |
| College of Charleston |
Charleston, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
65.2 |
2 mi |
| Coastal Carolina University |
Conway, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
51.5 |
87 mi |
| Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College |
Orangeburg, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
51.5 |
71 mi |
| Trident Technical College |
Charleston, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
50.6 |
9 mi |
| Horry-Georgetown Technical College |
Conway, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
50.3 |
88 mi |
| Savannah Technical College |
Savannah, GA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
48.8 |
87 mi |
| Southeastern College-Charleston |
North Charleston, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
47.1 |
7 mi |
| Francis Marion University |
Florence, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
44.2 |
97 mi |
| Central Carolina Technical College |
Sumter, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
43.9 |
81 mi |
South Carolina has 38 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the South Carolina page lists them all.
Military installations near Charleston
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Charleston |
| Coast Guard Station Charleston |
Coast Guard |
3 mi |
| Charleston Defense Fuel Support Pt |
Other |
7 mi |
| Charleston AFB |
Air Force |
8 mi |
| Naval Weapons Station Charleston |
Navy |
10 mi |
| Naval Weapons Station Charleston (Short Stay) |
Navy |
31 mi |
| Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort |
Marine Corps |
49 mi |
| Naval Hospital Beaufort |
Navy |
51 mi |
| Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island |
Marine Corps |
54 mi |
Common post-service careers near Charleston
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$110,310 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$109,218 |
| Logisticians |
$82,780 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$81,960 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$94,330 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$93,396 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$60,570 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$59,970 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$121,990 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$120,782 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$94,730 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$93,792 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$97,480 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$96,515 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$100,610 |
Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro |
$99,614 |
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 Charleston
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina (Charleston, SC), 1 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- College of Charleston (Charleston, SC), 2 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
- Southeastern College-Charleston (North Charleston, SC), 7 mi, 2 of 4 services reported
- Trident Technical College (Charleston, SC), 9 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.
