Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Charleston, WV

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Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Charleston 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); 5 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Yeager Airport, about 3 miles away, and 6 installations sit within 100 miles (3 Army, 1 National Guard, 2 Other). 1 of the 10 schools has a campus within 30 miles; the closest is BridgeValley Community & Technical College in South Charleston, WV, about 4 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Ohio University-Southern Campus. Charleston has a population of about 47,918 and a median household income of $64,512; 44.1 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Charleston

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

Charleston, WV 1.4 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
49.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,774
Avg net price $22,107/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Nearest qualifying schools within 100 miles (any state)

SchoolLocationCredit for military trainingDedicated military contactDoD MOU memberStudent veteran orgBOC ScoreDistance
Ohio University-Southern CampusIronton, OHYesYesYesNo69.957 mi
West Virginia University at ParkersburgParkersburg, WVYesYesNoYes64.560 mi
Ohio University-Main CampusAthens, OHYesYesYesYes63.072 mi
Washington State College of OhioMarietta, OHYesYesNoYes58.476 mi
BridgeValley Community & Technical CollegeSouth Charleston, WVYesYesNoYes55.34 mi
Marshall UniversityHuntington, WVYesYesYesYes54.743 mi
New River Community CollegeDublin, VAYesYesYesYes53.9100 mi
Ashland Community and Technical CollegeAshland, KYYesYesYesYes53.856 mi
Marietta CollegeMarietta, OHYesYesYesYes50.474 mi
University of Rio GrandeRio Grande, OHYesYesNoYes50.355 mi

West Virginia has 27 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the West Virginia page lists them all.

Military installations near Charleston

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau)Branch (from the name)Distance from Charleston
Yeager AirportOther3 mi
Jackson County Army GuardArmy39 mi
WilliamstownOther70 mi
Elkins Army GuardArmy99 mi
National Guard Camp Sherman Training SiteNational Guard99 mi
Radford Army Ammunition PlntArmy100 mi

Common post-service careers near Charleston

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

OccupationMedian annual wageScopeCost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Information Security Analysts$64,840Charleston, WV metro$73,100
Logisticians$66,300Charleston, WV metro$74,746
Emergency Management Directors$60,460WV statewide$68,162
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$57,460Charleston, WV metro$64,780
Medical and Health Services Managers$125,470Charleston, WV metro$141,454
Project Management Specialists$89,600Charleston, WV metro$101,015
Network and Computer Systems Administrators$72,040Charleston, WV metro$81,218
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$86,060Charleston, WV metro$97,024

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 Charleston

  • BridgeValley Community & Technical College (South Charleston, WV), 4 mi, 3 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.