Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Smyrna, TN

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Smyrna 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 National Guard Vts Smyrna, about 3 miles away, and 7 installations sit within 100 miles (1 Army, 1 Air Force, 2 National Guard, 3 Other). 4 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, about 13 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Alabama in Huntsville. Smyrna has a population of about 55,066 and a median household income of $78,409; 28.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Smyrna

Schools based in Tennessee that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Smyrna 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 Smyrna. 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

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 12.6 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,541
Avg net price $13,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Herzing University-Nashville

Nashville, TN 14.0 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
61.1 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,909
Avg net price $20,537/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, TN 17.3 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
52.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,378
Avg net price $16,813/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 17.9 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,541
Avg net price $24,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Belmont University

Nashville, TN 18.8 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
61.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,930
Avg net price $33,147/yr
Tuition
In‑state$42,540
Out‑of‑state$42,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN 21.6 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
34.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,730
Avg net price $15,796/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Welch College

Gallatin, TN 27.3 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
34.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,198
Avg net price $25,263/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, TN 58.6 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
61.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,501
Avg net price $14,246/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#9

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN 60.3 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
44.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 96%
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,301
Avg net price $9,735/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,006
Out‑of‑state$14,766
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#10

The University of Tennessee Southern

Pulaski, TN 60.6 miles from Smyrna
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
38.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $12,798/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)

SchoolLocationCredit for military trainingDedicated military contactDoD MOU memberStudent veteran orgBOC ScoreDistance
University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsville, ALYesYesYesYes65.087 mi
Lipscomb UniversityNashville, TNYesYesYesYes62.518 mi
Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TNYesYesYesYes61.859 mi
Belmont UniversityNashville, TNYesYesYesYes61.119 mi
Herzing University-NashvilleNashville, TNYesYesYesNo61.114 mi
Academy of Allied Health CareersChattanooga, TNYesYesNoNo59.799 mi
Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TNYesYesYesYes56.413 mi
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeBowling Green, KYYesYesYesNo56.070 mi
The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TNYesYesYesYes54.494 mi
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KYYesYesYesYes52.770 mi

Tennessee has 42 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Tennessee page lists them all.

Military installations near Smyrna

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau)Branch (from the name)Distance from Smyrna
National Guard Vts SmyrnaNational Guard3 mi
Nashville IapOther13 mi
National Guard NashvilleNational Guard16 mi
Arnold AFBAir Force48 mi
Fort CampbellArmy76 mi
Redstone ArsenalOther93 mi
Wendell H Ford Regional Training CenterOther98 mi

Common post-service careers near Smyrna

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.

OccupationMedian annual wageScopeCost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Logisticians$77,610Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro$80,592
Emergency Management Directors$93,260Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro$96,843
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$68,780Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro$71,423
Medical and Health Services Managers$116,480Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro$120,955
Project Management Specialists$85,990Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro$89,294
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$93,170Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro$96,750
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$103,750Nashville-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.

Campuses within 30 miles of Smyrna

  • Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN), 13 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Herzing University-Nashville (Nashville, TN), 14 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • Lipscomb University (Nashville, TN), 18 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Belmont University (Nashville, TN), 19 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.