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
By GetEducated.com Consumer Reporting Team
| January 12, 2009
Life coach Victoria Krayna has financed six college educations, including her own. She, her husband and her four kids have learned plenty. One of the most important lessons of all those years of education: Borrow wisely—life is unpredictable.
When Krayna’s son’s tuition disappeared in the post-9/11 market crash, Krayna and her husband refinanced their home to pay for his education. It might have been a successful strategy, says Krayna, but then her husband was hit by a car and incurred injuries that affected his personality. After 28 years of marriage, the couple divorced, leaving Krayna with the mortgage.
Krayna rebounded, but she says that her experience has taught her not to count on the future.
Other financial experts echo Krayna’s cautions. They say that while it’s sometimes necessary to borrow against the equity in your home, you should never finance an education with credit cards or other forms of consumer debt. Under only the rarest circumstances should you tap retirement funds.
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.
By GetEducated.com Consumer Reporting Team
| January 12, 2009
Average cost of a college textbook: $150.
Ouch!
Enroll for two online courses, each requiring one textbook, and you’re instantly out $300. Take thirty online courses to earn your associate degree and watch your bank account dwindle by $4,500. And if you're taking courses in specialty areas, such as accounting, count on spending even more.
Taking steps to slash your textbook budget can literally save you thousands. Unlike a decade ago, students today have multiple options for getting college textbooks online.
By GetEducated.com Consumer Reporting Team
| January 09, 2009
It’s normal to approach the financial aid office at your online school with a little trepidation. Getting financial aid is tricky to begin with, and recent college loan scandals made some online students even more nervous.
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...
Liberty University’s Master of Education- Early Childhood Program Specialist program prepares you for effective leadership in Christian, public, and private schools. Along with core courses, students will follow a robust program specialist curriculum focusing on early childhood development. Liberty University is NCATE accredited and provides outstanding quality education at the lowest tuition rate of leading online universities. See why LU Online has been ranked in the top 10 for two years in a row!
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... 
