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A Closer Look at Our List of Popular Online Respiratory Therapy Degrees

Our ranking list orders programs by graduates to show popularity because higher throughput often means a lot of benefits, like steadier course rotations, richer peer consults on vents and protocols, and alumni who鈥檝e already achieves careers in the field. 

Across the top 16, the big-scale players like SJVC (93), Pima (42), and Cincinnati (32) create the largest cohorts you can lean on for case discussions, capstone partners, and job visibility. 

Below, we also weigh the program-specific earnings (where available), recommendation rates from 90,000+ student surveys, and distinctive features 鈥� credit for the RRT, seven-week blocks, faculty access 鈥� that actually would shape your day-to-day as a working clinician.

Earnings Potential for Respiratory Therapy Degrees Online

Program-level earnings give you a window into real roles grads are landing at these schools. For example, the ones excelling the most are the programs at Loma Linda (~$97,622), Pima (~$91,209), and Oregon Tech (~$87,197), where alumni outcomes suggest traction with academic medical centers, high-acuity ICUs, transport services, sleep labs, and charge/educator roles. 

Lower medians at some institutions (e.g., NKU ~$55,224) don鈥檛 make those programs "bad" necessarily. Instead, they remind you that region, hospital mix, and role type (bedside vs. leadership/education/informatics) heavily influence pay. So know what you're signing up for. 

You should match a program鈥檚 specialty preparation (ACCS, NPS, Polysomnography, Management/Education tracks) to where you want to practice. 

Unique Respiratory Therapy Program Features

What becomes clear when looking across these programs is that every school has designed its BSRT pathway around the needs of working adults, but the way they do it varies, sometimes dramatically. 

Efficiency

Almost all of these programs recognize prior credentials, fast-track coursework, and build in flexible pacing options to help clinicians advance without stepping away from patient care. But once you dig deeper, each online school reveals distinctive touches. 

For instance, SJVC strips down the schedule into one class every five weeks. We like this because it lets busy respiratory therapists focus on a single subject at a time without feeling overloaded. 

Compare that with Pima Medical Institute, which takes a much broader approach by offering two distinct tracks: one oriented toward leadership and another toward education, plus electives in areas like polysomnography and home health that expand career possibilities beyond the ICU.

Liberty University takes efficiency in another direction, allowing students to transfer up to 75% of their degree and progress entirely online in short, eight-week courses, with the bonus of free digital textbooks to reduce hidden costs. 

Generous Credit and Transfer Policies

Credit and transfer policy can make or break your timeline to graduation. The University of Southern Indiana (USI) is especially generous, awarding credit not only for an associate degree but also for specialty NBRC certifications like NPS or ACCS. 

Similarly, Oregon Tech takes efficiency to an extreme by granting an 80-credit block for holding the RRT credential. This can take years off the journey to a bachelor鈥檚.

Student Support

Faculty access and overall support also emerge as defining traits. UT Health San Antonio鈥檚 6:1 student-faculty ratio ensures close mentorship, while Loma Linda goes even further with a 3:1 ratio. 

Taken together, these programs are all built to help practicing RRTs advance quickly and flexibly. But the differences allow each bachelor's program to serve a slightly different type of student. For prospective respiratory therapists, the right choice depends on whether you value speed, mentorship, or opportunity.

Student Satisfaction

Think of recommendation rate as a 鈥渨ould you choose this care team again?鈥� The answer is a clear "yes" for schools like UT Health San Antonio (100%), UM-Flint (95%), and NKU (94%). These schools tend to share traits that RRTs feel immediately: small or responsive classes (UT Health鈥檚 6:1 ratio), focused degree-completion design for credentialed therapists, and structures that reduce friction (accelerated blocks, clear transfer maps, credit for NBRC specialties). 

RT students should consider our recommendation rates because they correlate with the things that keep you progressing when you鈥檙e working nights: predictable rotations, faculty who answer fast when a waveform question hits, tech that doesn鈥檛 break, and strong advising/guidance.

Final Thoughts

The respiratory therapy degree programs we list above represent the best online bachelor's options designed specifically for working adults.

Choosing the right online bachelor鈥檚 program is really personal. You have to make the best choice for your needs based on the data provided. But something to set your mind at ease: Any of the online respiratory therapy degrees above are legitimate because all schools we feature across our site are fully accredited.