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)

School Location Credit for military training Dedicated military contact DoD MOU member Student veteran org BOC Score Distance
Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH Yes Yes Yes No 69.9 57 mi
West Virginia University at Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV Yes Yes No Yes 64.5 60 mi
Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.0 72 mi
Washington State College of Ohio Marietta, OH Yes Yes No Yes 58.4 76 mi
BridgeValley Community & Technical College South Charleston, WV Yes Yes No Yes 55.3 4 mi
Marshall University Huntington, WV Yes Yes Yes Yes 54.7 43 mi
New River Community College Dublin, VA Yes Yes Yes Yes 53.9 100 mi
Ashland Community and Technical College Ashland, KY Yes Yes Yes Yes 53.8 56 mi
Marietta College Marietta, OH Yes Yes Yes Yes 50.4 74 mi
University of Rio Grande Rio Grande, OH Yes Yes No Yes 50.3 55 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 Airport Other 3 mi
Jackson County Army Guard Army 39 mi
Williamstown Other 70 mi
Elkins Army Guard Army 99 mi
National Guard Camp Sherman Training Site National Guard 99 mi
Radford Army Ammunition Plnt Army 100 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.

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