An online degree can cost as little as $3,000 – or over $100,000. More than 12,000 online degrees and certificates – and no two charge the same tuition. Our affordability rankings reveal who offers the best – and worst – buys in online degrees.
Enrolled in an online degree program? Alumni of an online college? Visit your college or degree program in our directory and "grade" – rate and rank – its performance. Your opinion will help others "get educated" about the real-life ratings of thousands of online college programs.
Not all online colleges rate the same in the eyes of the public or potential employers. How does the public rate your online degree? Do they rank it high – or rate it low? Help rate and rank all the choices. Your opinion will help others "get educated" about the real-life reputation of thousands of online colleges.
"Anybody who's thinking of enrolling in an online degree ... take a good look at GetEducated.com . Go ... get a free download of a detailed guide ."
Searching for an Online MBA?: "Several websites can help .. first, GetEducated.com offers free rankings of distance-learning MBA programs."
"Beware diploma mills... Go to GetEducated.com and ask the Diploma Mill Police."
"For a distance MBA you can pay from $6,000 to $120,000. To get the most bang for your buck ... check out GetEducated.com"
GetEducated.com – "a great source for weeding out phonies" (among online colleges).
"Thanks much for your wonderful site! I've recommended it to my students and entered a program I found at GetEducated.com." --Charles Balch, MBA, Ph.D. --Professor, Arizona Western College
Articles
Browse Articles by Category
Online Education Facts & Statistics
Latest Online Learning News
Distance Education Primer
+ View All Categories in Online Education Facts & Statistics
Online Education Jobs & Resources
Online Education Careers
Resources for Online Educators
+ View All Categories in Online Education Jobs & Resources
By GetEducated Consumer Reporting Team | September 29, 2009
Five a.m. in Iraq and it’s time for Gunnery Sgt. Jose Rodriguez—a 34-year-old Marine Reservist from Orlando, Florida—to get up, log onto his computer, and start his homework.
Like many active-duty troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Rodriguez has chosen to fill his off-hours with schoolwork. He is using the Internet to do this, getting his online bachelor’s degree in criminal justice through Strayer University.
By GetEducated Consumer Reporting Team | September 20, 2009
Over the past decade, thousands of people in the U.S. and around the world have bought fake online college degrees. The lure: earn your degree—fast and cheap. No tests required! The only graduation requirement: a valid credit card.
By GetEducated Consumer Reporting Team | September 21, 2009
Chester Ludlow, a pug dog from Vermont, has been awarded an online MBA (Masters in Business Administration) by Rochville University—an online college that offers distance learning degrees based on life and career experience.
Chester is believed to be the first dog to be awarded a college degree based on life experience.
But did he earn it—or did he buy it?
“The difference between earning a college degree online or buying one is key,” says Vicky Phillips, founder of GetEducated.com.
Chester is GetEducated’s mascot. In May, he submitted his resume—along with $499—to Rochville University online. A week later, on June 5, 2009, an express packet arrived from a post office box in Dubai.
By GetEducated Consumer Reporting Team | August 03, 2009
As the giant USS Nimitz plows through the Pacific Ocean, onboard teacher Linda Beckham sits before her computer, hoping her Internet connection stays alive.
If not, she will lose contact with another set of military students she teaches—men and women stationed in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.
Beckham is both an online college instructor and a traveling teacher for Central Texas College. You will frequently find her on Navy ships like the Nimitz, conducting community college-level classes in English and pre-algebra with groups of sailors—who sometimes are so exhausted from their duties that they stand during class, for fear of falling asleep if they were to sit down.
By GetEducated Consumer Reporting Team | July 26, 2009
Douglas Blatt wanted to go to law school 20 years ago, but life got in the way. Today, the 43-year-old Texas computer programmer dreams again of becoming an attorney—by studying at an online school, so he can continue to work and support his family.
However, Texas—like most other states—allows only American Bar Association-accredited law school graduates to take its bar exam and become licensed attorneys. And the ABA does not accredit online law schools.
The ABA is in the middle of a review of its accreditation standards, including “Standard 306,” which applies to distance education. This standard allows law schools to offer some online courses in their degree programs—but only 12 credits total. Of these, only four credits can be taken in a semester and students can’t take them in their first year of law school.
These restrictions effectively eliminate online schools from accreditation.
I’m looking for an online MBA. I’ve found several that fit my budget but none are accredited by the AACSB. What is the AACSB? Do I really need a distance MBA degree that is accredited by them?
—Roberta, Gary, IN
The AACSB is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. It is considered the gold standard of business school accreditation. But not every student needs an AACSB-accredited MBA...
I was laid off from my job as a real estate agent and want to be a high school math teacher, but my bachelor’s degree is in psychology. Do I need a new degree in education? Will an online bachelor’s in education qualify me to become a licensed teacher?
—Willis, Houston, Texas
If you didn’t earn a bachelor’s degree in education years ago and you now want to teach in the public schools, don’t fret. Every state maintains what are termed “alternative teacher certification” programs...
Western Governors University -- Online, Competency-Based MBA -- A private, non-profit university, WGU offers three flexible, online master’s degrees in Business: the Master of Business Administration, MBA—Information Technology Management, and the MBA-Healthcare Management. You set the pace—the more time and energy you can commit to our fully accredited degree program, the faster you’ll graduate. Plus, the knowledge you've accumulated from prior academic or work experience may help you move through the assessments even more quickly.
AIU Online is the web-based virtual campus of American InterContinental University, an international university with residential campuses located in Georgia, California, Florida and England; offers graduate degree programs in Information Technology, Business Administration and Education completely online via rich, multimedia course delivery. American InterContinental University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees.
For active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and military families.
More than half of military students use online education. What do you need to know to find schools that best fit your needs? How can you find the best financial aid and scholarship package at your online school? Answers are here.
The field of online education is growing and so is the need for teachers who can teach online. Check out our regularly updated list of online job opportunities, post your job availability, and visit our Online Resource Center, with tips, advice and free downloads for online educators.
Facts from GetEducated's National Survey of Online MBAs. Who offers the cheapest online MBA? Do you need an AACSB-accredited distance MBA? Online MBA rankings and ratings. Everything you need to know to compare 390 accredited online MBAs from 168 online business schools.
I’m looking for an online MBA. I’ve found several that fit my budget but none are accredited by the AACSB. What is the AACSB? Do I really need a distance MBA degree that is accredited by them?
—Roberta, Gary, IN 
The AACSB is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. It is considered the gold standard of business school accreditation. But not every student needs an AACSB-accredited MBA... 
standards, including “Standard 306,” which applies to distance education. This standard allows law schools to offer some online courses in their degree programs—but only 12 credits total. Of these, only four credits can be taken in a semester and students can’t take them in their first year of law school.