Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > South Carolina > Columbia
Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Columbia 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 Fort Jackson, about 5 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Navy, 2 Air Force, 2 National Guard, 1 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is University of South Carolina-Columbia in Columbia, SC, about 8 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Carolinas College of Health Sciences. Columbia has a population of about 138,019 and a median household income of $55,653; 46.1 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Military-friendly online colleges near Columbia
Schools based in South Carolina that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Columbia 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 Columbia.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,421
Avg net price
$27,693/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 39%
- Programs offered: 14
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$30,497
Avg net price
$10,972/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 11
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,338
Avg net price
$18,408/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 57%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,177
Avg net price
$22,811/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 165
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 |
| Carolinas College of Health Sciences |
Charlotte, NC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
83.9 |
79 mi |
| Cabarrus College of Health Sciences |
Concord, NC |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
79.6 |
98 mi |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia |
Columbia, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
74.1 |
8 mi |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
Charlotte, NC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
72.0 |
88 mi |
| Queens University of Charlotte |
Charlotte, NC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
55.1 |
80 mi |
| Augusta University |
Augusta, GA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
54.4 |
74 mi |
| Winthrop University |
Rock Hill, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
53.8 |
63 mi |
| Stanly Community College |
Albemarle, NC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
53.1 |
98 mi |
| Central Piedmont Community College |
Charlotte, NC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
52.6 |
82 mi |
| Greenville Technical College |
Greenville, SC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
52.5 |
100 mi |
South Carolina has 38 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the South Carolina page lists them all.
Military installations near Columbia
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) |
Branch (from the name) |
Distance from Columbia |
| Fort Jackson |
Army |
5 mi |
| McEntire Joint National Guard Base |
National Guard |
10 mi |
| Shaw AFB |
Air Force |
25 mi |
| North Air Force Auxiliary Fld |
Air Force |
32 mi |
| Naval Weapons Station Charleston (Short Stay) |
Navy |
75 mi |
| National Guard Mta Clarks Hill Reservation |
National Guard |
81 mi |
| Charlotte Douglas International Airport |
Other |
82 mi |
| Fort Gordon |
Army |
90 mi |
Common post-service careers near Columbia
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Columbia, SC metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
| Information Security Analysts |
$101,330 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$108,143 |
| Logisticians |
$75,800 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$80,896 |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$71,110 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$75,891 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$59,260 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$63,244 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$107,280 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$114,493 |
| Project Management Specialists |
$85,260 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$90,993 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$86,650 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$92,476 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$101,030 |
Columbia, SC metro |
$107,823 |
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 Columbia
- University of South Carolina-Columbia (Columbia, SC), 8 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.
