| March 6, 2008, GetEducated.com, Essex Junction, VT (PR Web)
The average cost for a regionally accredited online MBA is $20,528.
"But," warns educational analyst Vicky Phillips, "consumers can pay as little as $7,000 or as much as $45,000 in today's Internet environment. The best deals will go to consumers who take the time to research online education providers thoroughly." Where can consumers turn to find their best buys, and who offers some of the worst deals? GetEducated.com surveyed 168 accredited distance MBAs: 91 of these offered by graduate business schools which have been accredited by one of the regional accreditation boards. GetEducated's survey of 91 regionally accredited options revealed online learners in the United States should be prepared to pay as little as $7,065 or as much as $45,000 for a regionally accredited distance grad degree in business administration (MBA). Premiering at the number one ranked "most affordable" spot this year is Chadron State College (Nebraska), a public institution with a modest cost of $7,065 for an online MBA degree, regardless of the learner's state of residency. Athabasca University, a public institution located in Canada but approved to award degrees in the U.S., topped the price chart at an estimated cost of $45,000 for tuition and fees for American learners. Consumer Tips: Selecting Best Online MBA "Consumers searching for their Best Buys in online education should start by considering public universities in their own back yards," says Phillips. Brand-name brick-and-mortar public universities continue to dominate GetEducated.com's list of highly ranked values in online learning. "Ten years ago, most distance degrees came from universities few had heard of. Today, the best online degrees are being granted by universities that have been helping people get educated for a hundred years or more," comments Phillips. GetEducated's top-ranked values include names that have earned the trust of consumers and employers alike. Most are publicly supported universities that have ported their degrees nationwide using online delivery. Many publicly supported institutions offer the same low tuition they give state residents to learners everywhere. A distance MBA from California State University at Dominguez Hills, for example, costs $12,000 for all learners, regardless of their state of residency. "Twelve thousand dollars may sound like a lot of money," says Phillips, "but in truth the average regionally accredited MBA costs $20,500. CSU costs $8,500 less than the national average. Consumers need to know that an online MBA need not cost them their life savings." "Fort Hays State," comments Phillips, "is an excellent example of a public institution that has found its niche online." The university appears on several of GetEducated's Best Buy lists. "Their brand motto is 'Affordable Success,'" comments Phillips, "and that is exactly what they deliver by offering solid programs like their MBA at a cost of about $14,800. That price is $6,000 less than the national average for a distance MBA. No one could argue that this institution does anything less than meet the stated promise of its brand. As a result, learners nationwide benefit."
ABOUT: Founded in 1989, GetEducated.com is the safest place in cyberspace to shop for an online degree ™. In a nationwide effort to help consumers get educated about quality online learning, the clearinghouse publishes FREE independent ratings and rankings of online universities. The clearinghouse operates the Diploma Mill Police, (SM), a FREE online degree accreditation verification service designed to help protect online learners from educational fraud. © 2010 GetEducated.com, Get Educated, Inc.
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