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
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Financial Aid Information | Consumer's College Cost Cutting Guide
By Vicky Phillips, Chief Education Analyst | October 13, 2009
Question:
I’m searching for an online bachelor’s in business or management. But no two online colleges charge the same amount for this degree. One college can charge $50,000 more for what looks like the very same online degree to me. Is a more expensive online degree better than a cheaper one?
—Rayette, Boise, Idaho Answer:
There is no relationship between cost and quality in online education. Paying more won’t get you “more” of an education, nor will it necessarily buy you an academically better degree. The cost—and therefore affordability—of any online degree is a function of four factors. It may surprise you to learn that none of these is correlated with educational quality.
By Vicky Phillips, Chief Education Analyst | June 16, 2009
Question:
I attended college twelve years ago and dropped out. I finished three years of college toward my four-year bachelor’s degree in business. Can I transfer all these old credits toward a new online degree? —Tom, Maryland
Answer:
Your old course credits will have to "fit" into any new college's degree structure. Because no two colleges have identical degree requirements, the transfer process rarely results in a perfect fit.
But you’re smart to ask about transfer credits. Losing credits in transfer is like losing your wallet. If you paid $150 per credit for your old courses—a modest price—and you lose fifteen credits when you transfer to a new college, you’ve lost $2,250.
Five issues can affect your transfer credit standing. Before you enroll in any online college scrutinize each school’s policies on these issues.
By GetEducated.com Consumer Reporting Team | May 19, 2009
Don Holcomb needed help. The 55-year-old Phoenix engineer couldn’t figure out how to finish testing his invention—a solar-powered cooling system—despite a PhD in industrial engineering.
So, Holcomb went online—to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is the pioneer of the Open Courseware movement, which places professors’ lectures (via video, audio, slides or text) into the public sphere for anyone to view, all for free.
Holcomb took a course in chemical engineering processes, which helped him figure out how to proceed with testing his invention.
“Hearing it from the teacher and hearing his emphasis adds a lot to the learning experience,” says Holcomb. “You don’t get that out of just reading textbooks.”
By Vicky Phillips, Chief Education Analyst | January 29, 2009
Today, the majority of "college kids" are 24 years old or older. In online bachelor's degree programs, the average “college kid” is 36 years old. The average online master’s degree student is 40 years old.
If you’re an older “college kid,” chances are you’ve acquired specialized knowledge on the job—or even through independent reading or hobbies.
"Credit for life experience" programs are available at most colleges today. Using them can help you earn your online college degree more quickly—and at considerable cost savings. Here are five ways to turn what you've learned in life into college credit.
By GetEducated.com Consumer Reporting Team | January 12, 2009
“Help! I called an online college to ask about their degree program in healthcare and now they won’t stop calling me. They’ve called like five times this week. Now they have my cell number and want me to sign loan papers. I feel like I’m being harassed by a bill collector.”
Incoming Email Potential Online Student
Online students often complain to us that they’re getting a hard sell from admissions reps at for-profit colleges. We’re not surprised. Over the last few years, several class-action suits have found for-profit schools guilty of employing aggressive and misleading tactics to rush online students toward enrollment.
Under scrutiny, many for-profit online colleges have cleaned up their acts. But a select few still use hard-sell tactics to lure students.
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...
Add value to your MBA degree by taking courses focused on the theory and practice of effective leadership. The MBA in Leadership at FHSU combines academic rigor, convenience and affordability to prepare you for the leadership challenges of today’s dynamic business environment. The same high quality instructors teach online who teach on campus. A 37 credit hour program, with nine more required of students without undergraduate business degrees. Affordable tuition at $400 per credit hour.
CTU's Institute for Advanced Studies is an innovative graduate school that takes advanced learning to a flexible new level, making graduate degrees ACHIEVABLE, PRACTICAL and REALISTIC. Study online, on campus, a combination of the two, days, nights, or weekends...however and wherever you choose. The Doctoral degree programs at CTU IAS include six residencies over 3 years. These four-day sessions are held on the CTU IAS campus in Colorado Springs every year.
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... 
Don Holcomb needed help. The 55-year-old Phoenix engineer couldn’t figure out how to finish testing his invention—a solar-powered cooling system—despite a PhD in industrial engineering.