Best Military-Friendly Online Colleges Near Appleton, WI

Updated September 6, 2026 On this page

Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Wisconsin > Appleton

Key takeaway: 10 accredited institutions within 100 miles of Appleton 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); 7 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The nearest installation recorded by the Census Bureau is Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay, about 64 miles away, and 6 installations sit within 100 miles (2 Air Force, 3 Coast Guard, 1 Other). 4 of the 10 schools have a campus within 30 miles; the closest is Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI, about 3 miles from city center. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is University of Wisconsin-Madison. Appleton has a population of about 74,873 and a median household income of $77,450; 37.0 percent of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year estimates).

Military-friendly online colleges near Appleton

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

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, WI 3.5 miles from Appleton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
  • Credit for military training
  • Dedicated military contact
  • DoD MOU member
  • Student veteran org
67.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,684
Avg net price $11,407/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,040
Out‑of‑state$7,283
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege 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 Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 86.9 97 mi
Bellin College Green Bay, WI Yes Yes Yes No 75.7 27 mi
Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 75.3 89 mi
Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 74.0 88 mi
Rasmussen University-Wisconsin Green Bay, WI Yes Yes Yes No 72.6 23 mi
Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 67.6 3 mi
Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI Yes Yes Yes No 66.9 34 mi
Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 63.9 40 mi
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 62.5 22 mi
Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI Yes Yes Yes Yes 62.3 84 mi

Wisconsin has 45 military-friendly online colleges by this definition; the Wisconsin page lists them all.

Military installations near Appleton

Installation (as recorded by the Census Bureau) Branch (from the name) Distance from Appleton
Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay Coast Guard 64 mi
Coast Guard Station Milwaukee Coast Guard 92 mi
Truax Field Air National Guard Base Air Force 92 mi
Volk Field Air National Guard Base Air Force 95 mi
General Mitchell International Airport Airguard Station Other 96 mi
Coast Guard Station Ludington Coast Guard 98 mi

Common post-service careers near Appleton

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

Occupation Median annual wage Scope Cost-of-living adjusted (US=100)
Logisticians $65,370 Appleton, WI metro $70,747
Emergency Management Directors $77,260 WI statewide $83,615
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers $77,620 Appleton, WI metro $84,004
Medical and Health Services Managers $122,660 Appleton, WI metro $132,749
Project Management Specialists $98,290 Appleton, WI metro $106,374
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $82,750 Appleton, WI metro $89,556
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $91,060 Appleton, WI metro $98,550

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 Appleton

  • Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI), 3 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (Green Bay, WI), 22 mi, 4 of 4 services reported
  • Rasmussen University-Wisconsin (Green Bay, WI), 23 mi, 3 of 4 services reported
  • Bellin College (Green Bay, WI), 27 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.