Key takeaway: 146 of the 260 institutions based in California that offer a fully online program report both credit for military training and a dedicated point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and families (IPEDS IC 2024). The schools below are that group, ordered by BOC Score. Headquarters state is not the same as where you live. School cards are ordered by BOC Score inside the IPEDS filter, not by any education benefit program. This site does not rank or describe benefit programs, and eligibility is determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a service's education office. This site is not affiliated with VA or DoD.
California has the largest online-college pool in our directory. 146 of 260 institutions based in the state that offer a fully online program report both credit for military training and a dedicated veteran and military contact (IPEDS IC 2024). A large pool still needs the same checklist: written Joint Services Transcript evaluation, asynchronous share, and a contact who serves fully online students. For the national checklist, see military support services at online colleges. For every accredited online college based in the state, see online colleges in California.
Schools to Compare
These accredited institutions are based in California, report credit for military training and a dedicated veteran and military point of contact, and offer at least one program completable entirely online (IPEDS IC 2024). Ranked by BOC Score within that group.
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:
BOCSCORE
- 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.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$83,187
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$90,768
Avg net price
$16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
75%
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,902
Avg net price
$11,531/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,780
Out‑of‑state$20,380
Key stats
- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,988
Avg net price
$13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 118
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,403
Avg net price
$10,440/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 121
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,951
Avg net price
$6,555/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 78
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
76%
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,699
Avg net price
$14,304/yr
TuitionIn‑state$15,606
Out‑of‑state$49,806
Key stats
- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 87
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,909
Avg net price
$15,364/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Key stats
- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 133
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
94%
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,876
Avg net price
$9,338/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,018
Out‑of‑state$20,618
Key stats
- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 78
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
What the filter means
The list is not a commercial “military-friendly” ranking. Each school reported two services to the U.S. Department of Education:
- Credit for military training (IPEDS VET2). 158 online institutions based in California report this flag.
- A dedicated point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and families (IPEDS VET3).
- 117 also report DoD Voluntary Education Partnership MOU membership (VET5). That is a written floor for serving servicemembers, not a statement about any education benefit.
Ask the registrar for a written Joint Services Transcript evaluation before you enroll. Credit toward electives is common; credit toward major requirements is rarer. See online colleges with credit for military training.
Headquarters vs. where you study
An online program can be delivered by a school based in another state. This page is useful when you want an institution with a California footprint. It is not a list of every online college a California resident can attend, and it is not a residency or benefits determination. Confirm state authorization and any professional-licensure rules with the school.
What the IPEDS service fields do and do not record
The two fields behind this list are institution-reported yes or no answers on the fall Institutional Characteristics survey, and neither carries supporting detail. Credit for military training (VET2) records that the institution has a process for reading a Joint Services Transcript and applying American Council on Education credit recommendations where they match its curriculum. It does not record how many credits a given transcript produces, whether they land against general education, elective hours, or named major requirements, whether a cap applies to combined transfer and prior-learning credit, or how long an evaluation takes. Two institutions that both report the field can treat the same transcript very differently, and the document that settles an individual case is the registrar’s written evaluation rather than any federal record.
The dedicated point of contact (VET3) records that one office or person is responsible for veteran and military students, covering enrollment certification, coordination with the registrar on transcripts, and the administrative side of a deployment or a relocation. It does not record staffing, hours, response time, or whether the office serves fully online students several time zones away. For a student who never visits campus, that office is the school, which is why its scope varies more than the single reported field suggests.
Two further fields sit on the same survey. A recognized student veteran organization (VET4) is the rarest of the four service indicators, and it records institutional recognition rather than membership size or whether an online student can take part remotely. DoD Voluntary Education Partnership MOU membership (VET5) records a signature on a written commitment to academic advising, transparent transfer and credit policies, and limits on aggressive recruiting. The distance education program flag (DISTPGS) is separate again, and it is what establishes that a degree can be finished entirely online rather than in a hybrid format built around campus residencies. That flag narrows the pool before any service field is applied to it.
Education benefits, without promises
This site does not rank or describe education benefit programs. Eligibility, payment amounts, and whether a school currently participates in anything are determined by education benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a service’s education office, together with the school’s certifying official. Admission, graduation, licensure, and employment are decided by the institution, the licensing board, and employers, not by any benefit. This site is not affiliated with VA or DoD. Full wording: military support services at online colleges.
Quick Answers
How many online colleges based in California report military support services?
146 of 260 institutions based in California that offer a fully online program report both credit for military training and a dedicated veteran and military contact (IPEDS IC 2024).
Does a California headquarters mean the program is only for California residents?
No. Headquarters is where the institution is based. Online enrollment rules, tuition residency, and state authorization are set by each institution separately from where it is headquartered.
Do you rank these colleges by education benefits?
No. School cards are ordered by BOC Score inside the IPEDS service filter. This site does not rank or describe education benefit programs, and eligibility and payment are determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a service’s education office. Admission, graduation, licensure, and employment are decided by the institution, the licensing board, and employers, not by any benefit.
Are these online colleges accredited?
Every institution in our directory holds accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Programmatic accreditation, which some licensed professions require, is a separate designation from institutional accreditation.
Next steps
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.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024), veteran and military services indicators (VET2, VET3, VET5) and distance education program flag (DISTPGS); directory counts as of the September 2026 data refresh. Pool is institutions with state=CA and offers_online_program.
