Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Winchester, VA

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Winchester 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 Ewvra Shepherd Fld, about 19 miles away, and 8 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Army, 3 Navy, 1 Marine Corps, 2 Other). None of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Ascent College in Gainesville, VA, about 39 miles away. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Maryland-College Park. Winchester has a population of about 27,981 and a median household income of $64,648; 31.6 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Winchester

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

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA 1.0 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
59.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,433
Avg net price $30,298/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege 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
University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 89.1 67 mi
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 88.8 84 mi
University of Management and Technology Arlington, VA Yes Yes No No 82.8 62 mi
George Mason University Fairfax, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 81.5 52 mi
Georgetown University Washington, DC Yes Yes Yes Yes 79.6 62 mi
James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 77.9 63 mi
Towson University Towson, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.6 85 mi
George Washington University Washington, DC Yes Yes Yes Yes 76.5 63 mi
Ascent College Gainesville, VA Yes Yes No No 73.3 39 mi
Carroll Community College Westminster, MD Yes Yes Yes Yes 72.5 68 mi

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

Military installations near Winchester

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Winchester
Ewvra Shepherd Fld Other 19 mi
Fort Detrick Army 44 mi
Allegany Ballistics Lab Other 44 mi
Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Navy 55 mi
Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps 58 mi
National Naval Medical Center Bethesda Navy 59 mi
Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Forest Glen Annex) Army 61 mi
United States Naval Observatory Navy 62 mi

Common post-service careers near Winchester

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts $119,680 Winchester, VA-WV metro $124,021
Logisticians $72,240 Winchester, VA-WV metro $74,860
Emergency Management Directors $99,860 VA statewide $103,482
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $58,960 Winchester, VA-WV metro $61,098
Medical and Health Services Managers $136,350 Winchester, VA-WV metro $141,295
Project Management Specialists $96,810 Winchester, VA-WV metro $100,321
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $90,400 Winchester, VA-WV metro $93,679
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $96,700 Winchester, VA-WV metro $100,207

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 Winchester

None of the 10 schools in the table has a campus within 30 miles of Winchester; the nearest is Ascent College at 39 miles.

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.