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
Nicholas Zazal works at the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign, but is earning his master's degree from the school's online division—even though the same degree is offered on campus, minutes from his office.
The reason? As with many online college students, Zazal's work schedule doesn't allow him to attend classes on his school's timetable. Instead, he has opted for the flexibility offered by distance learning.
Zazal, 26, is GetEducated.com's latest $1,000 "Excellence in Online Education" scholarship winner.
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.
Core4Women is a new online community that matches women who want to earn their degrees online with women who are experts in distance learning.
Gail Weatherly, distance education coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, started the group on the Ning social networking site as part of a pilot project. The first members were low-income single mothers living in a group home in Texas, who wanted to use online education to help become self-sufficient.
Later, the online community widened its reach to include military personnel and spouses. In July, the group opened to the general public.
GetEducated.com is offering its support to Core4Women through four, $1,000 online education scholarships to be awarded to "mentees" in the community later this year. Two of the scholarships will be awarded to women who are enrolled in Core4Women through a Texas non-profit agency that aids women, Buckner Family Place, and two will be given to female servicemembers or spouses who are enrolled through a military base in Texas. Recipients must be taking at least half their courses online to be eligible.
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.”
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...
Notre Dame College offers quality online Master of Education degrees in Mild/Moderate Intervention Specialist (K-12 Ohio), Reading Endorsement, and Technology Endorsement. Classes meet live online one evening a week so that students can take advantage of the convenience of online classes and still interact with the excellent faculty. NDC is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Norwich University’s regionally-accredited School of Graduate Studies offers 10 Master's degrees in business, diplomacy, military history, administration, business continuity, nursing, civil engineering and more. The online format is designed to meet your professional and personal needs and the small class sizes ensure individual attention from world class faculty. Challenging curriculum is designed to benefit your career development. Complete your degree in as little as 18 months from an institution with 189 years of academic heritage.
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.