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Best UUÖ±²¥s / Program-Specific Lists

OnlineU creates "Best" lists to help students find the strongest online programs from regionally accredited schools. We use federally-sourced and verified data to rank schools in three main ways: 

1. "Comprehensive" lists: This list ranks schools based on the highest online enrollment, showcasing the most popular choices among online students. All schools feature the desired program.

2. "Best by Salary Score" lists: This list focuses on specific programs with the best salary outcomes for graduates. 

3. "Hybrid" lists: When available data is limited, we combine both approaches by prioritizing the programs that produce high-earning graduates at the top, followed by the most popular online schools.

4. "Most Popular" lists: This list ranks schools based on the highest number of graduates, showcasing the most popular choices among online students. These are the number of graduates for the specific program the list is based upon, if applicable.

Please see below for a more detailed breakdown of each list.

Best Online Degrees - "Comprehensive" Lists

Our "Comprehensive" lists include regionally accredited schools offering the featured online degree, typically 100% online with few exceptions. We rank the schools themselves based on the largest number of distance learners at the relevant degree level. For example, bachelor's lists focus on schools with the most online undergraduates, while master's lists highlight schools with the most online graduate students.

Why? This approach ensures you see programs backed by schools with significant experience and a strong digital infrastructure for online learning, giving you confidence in their ability to deliver quality education in a fully online format.

Eligibility:

• Schools are all institutionally accredited across our site. 

• For any rankings published in 2024 or later, we use the NCES. Importantly, online enrollment represents the school overall but is not specific to a given program.

  Manually Collected Degrees

  All other information outside of the data collected from the NCES and College Scorecard is manually collected from schools' websites.

  Submit Updates or Corrections

  If you are a school representative and have corrections or additional data on your school's offerings, please contact us.

  Best Online Degrees - "Best by Salary Score" Lists

  We evaluate online programs based on alumni salaries to help prospective students determine which online degree programs would be the best long-term financial investment. From this analysis, each program is assigned a Salary Score in the form of a letter grade that represents its position relative to similar programs across the U.S. So, a program with an A+ means alumni have higher alumni salary outcomes compared to similar programs. (Please note that not every school has enough earnings data to calculate a Salary Score, and these are clearly marked when applicable.) 

  Why? The method of evaluating online programs based on alumni salaries provides a valuable lens for prospective students to assess the long-term financial value of their education. By assigning a Salary Score as a letter grade, the rankings simplify complex salary data into an accessible format, allowing students to compare programs easily.

  Eligibility:

  To be considered for OnlineU's rankings list, a school needs to meet the following criteria:

  • Schools must be institutionally accredited.

  • A school must offer at least one fully online degree in the relevant program area.

  • A school must have earnings data from .

    Best Online Degrees - Hybrid Lists

    Hybrid lists are a combination of our "Salary Score" and "Comprehensive" rankings — in that order. Schools with the best Salary Scores are ranked at the top of our lists, followed by schools with the highest online enrollment. Read about those list types above for more detail.

    Why? Hybrid lists balance financial outcomes with accessibility, providing a holistic perspective on online degree programs. Prioritizing alumni salary outcomes ensures prospective students see programs with strong earning potential first, helping them identify options with a solid return on investment. Including online enrollment as a secondary factor highlights schools with significant experience in delivering online education, offering students confidence in the institutions' capabilities.  

    Eligibility:

    To be considered for OnlineU's hybrid list, a school needs to meet the following criteria:

    • Schools must be institutionally accredited.

    • A school must offer at least one fully online degree in the relevant program area.

    • A school must have earnings data from .

      Best UUÖ±²¥s By State

      Colleges are ranked first based on the highest available Salary Score™ for the relevant degree levels. After that, colleges are ordered by highest online enrollment (i.e., popularity among online students) at the featured degree level.

      Eligibility for Four-Year Colleges/Universities by State:

      • Schools are all institutionally accredited.

      • A college must have a primary campus location within the state.

      • A college must offer five or more fully online bachelor's or master's degrees. 

      • For 2024 rankings, we determined degree offerings by using the  — allows prospective students to compare real-world salary outcomes among the alumni of their desired majors across universities.

        We calculate Salary Score™ using data from College Scorecard, a resource provided by the U.S. Department of Education. To calculate a school’s overall Salary Score™, we compare alumni earnings for each individual program to the same programs at schools across the country. In this way, a degree program at one school is evaluated against the same degree program across all schools.

        Salary Score™ examines alumni earnings data four years after graduation. Each Salary Score™ is represented as a letter grade. Schools with the best Salary Score™ are ranked at the top of our ranking lists, followed by schools with the highest online enrollment. Therefore, a school with an A+ means the alumni tend to have higher salary outcomes compared to the same programs at other schools. Please note that not every school has enough earnings data to calculate a Salary Score™, and these are clearly marked (N/A) when applicable. Data is for the graduates of the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years. Earnings are measured four years after graduation and adjusted for inflation in 2021 dollars.

        Why include schools without a Salary Score™?

        We believe that insufficient data for a Salary Score™ shouldn't exclude a school from our list. Therefore, we also include schools with high online enrollment, reflecting their popularity and appeal among distance learners. OnlineU encourages students to evaluate multiple factors — salary potential, online enrollment, reviews, and course offerings — when choosing a program. By presenting this data clearly, OnlineU helps students compare programs objectively and make informed decisions tailored to their goals and circumstances.Online Representation

        After listing colleges with Salary Score™ data, colleges are presented in order of popularity via online enrollment. This data point represents the total number of undergraduate students enrolled exclusively in distance education courses. This data is directly from the NCES.

        To maintain a strong focus on online education, all ranked schools must have a portion of the student population represented as distance learners. OnlineU calculates our chosen threshold by pulling data from the NCES' IPEDS.

        A fully online degree is defined as such when the majority of lectures, discussions, and assignment submissions occur through a remote learning management system. OnlineU manually collects this information from college websites. Schools with programs that require some on-campus coursework are still considered for our rankings if the amount of required in-person work is limited to two weeks per year. There are some exceptions that require additional in-person fieldwork, internships, clinical hours, or practicums.

        Other Notes

        Information about online degrees is manually collected from each school's website. If you are a school representative and have corrections or additional data on your school's offerings, please contact us.

        Our ranking lists sometimes include partner schools, but we use the same methodology for all schools (partners and non-partners) when developing these lists. Any advertisements within a ranking list will always be clearly marked with the word "Ad" and are not part of the underlying ranking set.

        Overall, OnlineU's goal is to equip prospective students with the tools and information they need to navigate the complex landscape of higher education confidently and make choices based on trustworthy data  that will set them up for success in the future.

        Most Affordable Online Degrees

        Online degrees are often less expensive than traditional campus programs, so we’ve highlighted accredited schools that offer online degrees that are affordable based on global tuition for undergraduate programs as well as manually collected tuition data for graduate programs.

        Eligibility:

        • The institution has fully online degrees that meet degree requirements for a given ranking.

        • For any rankings for associate or bachelor’s programs published in 2024 or later, the institution provides a “global” tuition — the same rate (cost per credit, cost per semester, etc.) for the vast majority of programs at that degree level. For example, a bachelor’s degree in business will have the same tuition rate as a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity or a bachelor’s in biology, etc. Rankings published before 2024 did not require global tuition for programs at the bachelor’s or associate levels.

        • Master’s and doctoral program rankings do not require a “global” tuition, as total credits required and program costs frequently differ. We’ve manually collected and calculated tuition costs for each individual master’s and doctoral program on our lists.

        • The school is institutionally accredited.

        • The school has online student enrollment data available on the National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) database.

        • Annual tuition is below $30,000, excluding course fees. Please note that many programs will have additional fees beyond the posted tuition rate.

        Schools are then ranked by manually researched online tuition. Citations for each school’s current tuition rates are provided in the tooltips within the ranking tables and school descriptions. Please note that rates are representative of the majority of programs at that degree level at that specific school.

        Online Representation

        In order to qualify for OnlineU's rankings, a school must have "online representation." This information is based on enrollment data from the NCES' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Please note that online enrollment data points represent the enrollment at a particular degree level and are not specific to a given program.

        In order to qualify for OnlineU's rankings, a school must have fully online programs. This is when the majority of lectures, discussions, and assignment submissions occur through a remote learning management system. OnlineU manually collects this information from college websites. Schools with programs requiring some on-campus coursework are still considered for OnlineU's rankings if the amount of in-person work is limited to two weeks per year. However, some degree programs may require additional in-person fieldwork, internships, clinical hours, or practicums beyond the core courses.

        Overall Rankings for Degree Levels: Colleges must offer a minimum of five distinct and fully online degrees at the featured degree level for inclusion on OnlineU lists. In this way, OnlineU prioritizes the colleges with a variety of online degree options for potential students to choose from.

        Program Rankings: Schools must offer at least one fully online degree in a given subject for the featured degree level.

        Data Sources

        Manual Collection

        The OnlineU staff manually researches tuition costs and online degrees on official school websites. Out-of-state tuition is represented unless in-state tuition is offered to all online students. Colleges with tuition over $30,000 are excluded from rankings. Figures are accurate at the time of publication; please check with the institution for its current tuition rates.

        If you are a school representative and have corrections or additional data on your school's offerings, please contact us.

        National Center for Education Statistics

        Acceptance rates, programmatic accreditation, and the profit status of schools is based on data from the  the primary governmental entity that gathers and presents data related to education. Although the NCES updates its data annually, it does not release data into downloadable formats until it has been approved. Therefore, the most current available data is not based on the most recent academic year. Additionally, OnlineU utilizes data from the NCES to determine a school's eligibility for inclusion on rankings lists.

        Our ranking lists sometimes include partner schools, but we use the same methodology for all schools (partner or non-partner) when developing these lists. Any advertisements within a ranking list will always be clearly marked with the word "Ad" and are not part of the underlying ranking set.

        Best Online Degrees by State - Program-Specific

        Many students are interested in specific online degrees within their state of residence. Therefore, we’ve highlighted several popular programs in each state. Please note that these pages focus on one individual degree and are different from our other state pages that highlight all online degrees at a school within a specific state.

        Eligibility:

        • Schools are all institutionally accredited.

        • The school has a primary campus location in the state featured.

        • The school offers a fully online degree in the subject highlighted. These degrees will be at the bachelor’s level unless otherwise specified.

        • The school has online enrollment or Salary Score data available from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (.

          Editorial Selections

          While most OnlineU lists use a traditional “ranking” format, we’ve taken a different approach on a selection of pages. Students are often looking for a variety of things when selecting a school or program — tuition, earnings potential, popularity, and much more. Therefore, we’ve created four different categories so you can decide which school is best for your higher education journey based on what matters most to you:

          • Best by Salary Score

          • Best by Affordability

          • Highest Rated by Students

          • Honorable Mention

          You’ll notice that we don’t include rank numbers on any of these lists. These are not official rankings but rather our choices for colleges that you should consider. Schools could qualify for inclusion within several categories — a school highlighted under our "Highest Rated by Students" category may also offer a very affordable tuition rate, for example — but we’ve limited each school to one list.

          Best Online Degrees - Editorial Selections

          Eligibility:

          • Schools are all institutionally accredited.

          • A school must have online student enrollment data available on the .

            Our comprehensive lists sometimes include partner schools, but we use the same methodology for all schools (partners and non-partners) when developing these lists. Any advertisements within a list are always clearly marked with the word "Ad" throughout the page.