Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Harrisonburg, VA

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Harrisonburg 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); 4 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Naval Information Operations Command Sugar Grove, about 23 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Army, 1 Navy, 1 Marine Corps, 3 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, about 0 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Centra College. Harrisonburg has a population of about 51,492 and a median household income of $59,752; 36.7 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Harrisonburg

Schools based in Virginia that report credit for military training and a dedicated military contact, ordered by distance from Harrisonburg 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 Harrisonburg. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA 0.2 miles from Harrisonburg
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
77.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,954
Avg net price $23,322/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA 2.4 miles from Harrisonburg
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
56.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,869
Avg net price $24,588/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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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
Centra College Lynchburg, VA Yes Yes No No 95.9 73 mi
George Mason University Fairfax, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.5 89 mi
James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 77.9 0 mi
Ascent College Gainesville, VA Yes Yes No No 73.3 72 mi
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Martinsburg, WV Yes Yes Yes Yes 71.1 83 mi
Catholic International University Charles Town, WV Yes Yes Yes No 69.6 80 mi
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 65.9 99 mi
Martinsburg College Martinsburg, WV Yes Yes Yes No 63.8 88 mi
Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA Yes Yes Yes No 62.5 93 mi
Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville, VA Yes Yes No Yes 62.2 36 mi

Virginia has 52 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Virginia page lists them all.

Military installations near Harrisonburg

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Harrisonburg
Naval Information Operations Command Sugar Grove Navy 23 mi
Elkins Army Guard Army 70 mi
Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps 77 mi
Allegany Ballistics Lab Other 77 mi
Camp Dawson Army 78 mi
Midway Research Center Other 81 mi
Ewvra Shepherd Fld Other 82 mi
Fort A P Hill Army 90 mi

Common post-service careers near Harrisonburg

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $103,920 Harrisonburg, VA metro $109,505
Logisticians $68,700 Harrisonburg, VA metro $72,392
Emergency Management Directors $99,860 VA statewide $105,227
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $58,260 Harrisonburg, VA metro $61,391
Medical and Health Services Managers $109,840 Harrisonburg, VA metro $115,743
Project Management Specialists $84,680 Harrisonburg, VA metro $89,231
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $79,670 Harrisonburg, VA metro $83,952
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $105,650 Harrisonburg, VA metro $111,328

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 Harrisonburg

  • James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA), 0 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.