Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Portsmouth, VA

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Portsmouth 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 Coast Guard Station Portsmouth, about 2 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (5 Navy, 1 Coast Guard, 2 Other). 3 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, about 4 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is William & Mary. Portsmouth has a population of about 97,299 and a median household income of $58,972; 23.2 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Portsmouth

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

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA 3.8 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
57.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,914
Avg net price $14,638/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 110

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, VA 5.1 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
42.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,666
Avg net price $15,282/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Centura College-Chesapeake

Chesapeake, VA 8.9 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA 9.4 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
34.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 38%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,498
Avg net price $19,923/yr
Tuition
In‑state$21,650
Out‑of‑state$21,650
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 88

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

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#5

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, VA 9.4 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
43.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,074
Avg net price $19,676/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA 9.7 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
55.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,837
Avg net price $22,965/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Hampton University

Hampton, VA 12.0 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
55.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,159
Avg net price $25,319/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

South University-Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, VA 12.7 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
19.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 12%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,421
Avg net price $27,843/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,145
Out‑of‑state$18,145
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 13

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

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#9

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA 35.1 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
85.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 34%
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,490
Avg net price $19,096/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,914
Out‑of‑state$51,038
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 55

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

#10

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, VA 77.6 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,128
Avg net price $23,433/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 142

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
William & MaryWilliamsburg, VAYesYesYesYes85.435 mi
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VAYesYesYesYes65.978 mi
College of the AlbemarleElizabeth City, NCYesYesYesYes58.837 mi
Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VAYesYesYesYes57.94 mi
Hampton UniversityHampton, VAYesYesYesYes55.912 mi
ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach, VAYesYesYesYes55.510 mi
Brightpoint Community CollegeChester, VAYesYesYesYes54.368 mi
Beaufort County Community CollegeWashington, NCYesYesYesNo52.797 mi
J Sargeant Reynolds Community CollegeRichmond, VAYesYesYesYes52.782 mi
Rappahannock Community CollegeGlenns, VAYesYesNoNo50.352 mi

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

Military installations near Portsmouth

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau)Branch (from the name)Distance from Portsmouth
Coast Guard Station PortsmouthCoast Guard2 mi
Naval Medical Center PortsmouthNavy3 mi
Craney Island Fuel DepOther3 mi
Norfolk Naval ShipyardNavy4 mi
Saint Julien’s Creek AnnexOther5 mi
Naval Support Activity Norfolk (Lafayette River Complex)Navy5 mi
Naval Support Activity NorfolkNavy6 mi
Naval Station NorfolkNavy7 mi

Common post-service careers near Portsmouth

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

OccupationMedian annual wageScopeCost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts$126,030Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$128,733
Logisticians$91,460Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$93,422
Emergency Management Directors$97,990Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$100,092
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$59,690Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$60,970
Medical and Health Services Managers$123,900Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$126,558
Project Management Specialists$104,920Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$107,171
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$98,640Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$100,756
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$108,430Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro$110,756

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 Portsmouth

  • Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA), 4 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • ECPI University (Virginia Beach, VA), 10 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Hampton University (Hampton, VA), 12 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.