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Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Tennessee > 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 National Guard Nashville, about 37 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 1 Air Force, 3 National Guard, 2 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, about 36 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Alabama in Huntsville. Columbia has a population of about 43,971 and a median household income of $61,204; 23.9 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).
Schools based in Tennessee 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.
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 Columbia. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| School | Location | Credit for military training | Dedicated military contact | DoD MOU member | Student veteran org | BOC Score | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 65.0 | 66 mi |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville, TN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 62.5 | 36 mi |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville, TN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 61.8 | 94 mi |
| Belmont University | Nashville, TN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 61.1 | 38 mi |
| Herzing University-Nashville | Nashville, TN | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 61.1 | 43 mi |
| Murray State University | Murray, KY | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 58.3 | 99 mi |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 56.4 | 42 mi |
| Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | Bowling Green, KY | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 56.0 | 99 mi |
| Freed-Hardeman University | Henderson, TN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 55.9 | 90 mi |
| University of North Alabama | Florence, AL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 53.6 | 67 mi |
Tennessee has 42 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Tennessee page lists them all.
| Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) | Branch (from the name) | Distance from Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| National Guard Nashville | National Guard | 37 mi |
| Nashville Iap | Other | 40 mi |
| National Guard Vts Smyrna | National Guard | 41 mi |
| Arnold AFB | Air Force | 56 mi |
| Redstone Arsenal | Other | 72 mi |
| Fort Campbell | Army | 76 mi |
| National Guard Vts Milan | National Guard | 92 mi |
| Milan Army Ammunition Plnt | Army | 95 mi |
Median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), shown for the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Scope | Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logisticians | $77,610 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $80,592 |
| Emergency Management Directors | $93,260 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $96,843 |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $68,780 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $71,423 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $116,480 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $120,955 |
| Project Management Specialists | $85,990 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $89,294 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $93,170 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $96,750 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $103,750 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro | $107,736 |
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 Columbia; the nearest is Lipscomb University at 36 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.
