July 30, 2008, GetEducated.com, Essex Junction, VT (PR Web)Want to save $10,000 on a bachelor's degree? How about paying $12,000 less than the national average for an accredited Master's in Business Administration (MBA)?
Savings this large are possible, according to GetEducated.com, a national consumer advocacy group that researches, rates, ranks and verifies the credibility of online college degree programs.
The key: park your car and head back to college online this fall.
“A college degree is the second most expensive purchase a consumer will make in his or her lifetime—second only to the purchase of a home,” says GetEducated.com’s founder, Vicky Phillips. “Doesn’t it make sense that consumers should use the Internet to comparison-search for higher education bargains online?”
The really good news?
Consumers who take the time to compare online colleges can realize
savings amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.That’s right. Tens of thousands.
Moreover, because the majority of brick-and-mortar colleges now offer at least some of their degrees online, consumers can save thousands while earning bachelor's and master's degrees online at universities whose names are both recognizable and respected.
“Ten years ago if you wanted to earn a degree through distance learning you had few choice,” remarks Phillips, “but today both name-brand state universities and the elite Ivy League offer online degrees.”
The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Stanford University and
Babson College are just a few of the name-brand colleges profiled by the online education experts at GetEducated.com.
To help consumers locate hidden gems of affordability among online universities and distance learning colleges GetEducated.com has published the following consumer advice:
1) Look for brand name public universities California State University,
Kansas State University,
Indiana State University,
The State University of New York, the
University of Nebraska and
Dakota State University are just a few of the traditional state colleges that offer low cost, high-quality online master's and online bachelor's degrees to a national audience via the Internet.
How much can you save by attending a state college online?
Bucket loads.
Online MBA Average Cost: $20,000
Cost of an Online MBA - California State University - Dominguez Hills: $12,000
Total Savings: $8,000Online Computer Science Master's Average Cost: $23,000
Cost of an Online Master's -
Columbus State University (GA): $8,000
Total Savings: $15,000
2) Never trust a search engine to find an online collegeSearch engines are the world’s worst way to locate online colleges. Degree mills —fake online colleges—advertise heavily on search engines. All it takes to appear at the top of a Google search is a valid Visa or Mastercard.
In addition, for-profit colleges have invested heavily—as in tens of millions of dollars—in search-engine optimization and online advertising, effectively positioning themselves at the top of all searches as well as at the top of thousands of “online education portals.”
The goal of for-profit colleges: buy their way into consumer consciousness. Here’s what you won't find if you rely on a search engine: hundreds of inexpensive state universities, many of which spend as little as a thousand dollars per year on online advertising.
You’ll have to dig to find the true distance learning college bargains.
Start your digging at GetEducated.com. As a consumer agency, GetEducated.com gives free profiles to all accredited colleges, leveling the playing field for state colleges and universities.
At GetEducated.com, all colleges get equal exposure.
You’ll find hundreds of state college and universities offering distance learning degrees at GetEducated.com.
3) Consult GetEducated.com’s Top Ranked Best Buys to Online DegreesBased on GetEducated.com’s national surveys of online education at accredited online colleges, here’s how much a consumer can actually save by comparison shopping for an online college degree.
GetEducated.com’s Best Buys in Online MBAs - Regionally AccreditedOnline MBA (Regionally Accredited)
Low Cost: $7,000
High Cost: $45,000
Average Cost: $20,000
GetEducated.com’s Best Buys in Online MBAs - AACSB AccreditedOnline MBA (AACSB Accredited)
Low Cost: $8,000
High Cost: $107,000
Average Cost: $32,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online Master's Degrees Healthcare & NursingOnline Master's Healthcare & Nursing
Low Cost: $8,000
High Cost: $50,000
Average Cost: $21,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online Masters Human ResourcesOnline Master's Human Resources
Low Cost: $9,000
High Cost: $41,000
Average Cost: $18,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online Masters Computers & Information Systems Online Master's Computer Science & Information Systems
Low: $5,000
High: $65,000
Average Cost: $24,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online Master's EngineeringOnline Master's Engineering
Low Cost: $7,000
High Cost: $86,00
Average Cost: $23,000
“Take the time to GetEducated about online college costs,” urges Phillips, the online education consumer advocate.
"Consult GetEducated.com’s
Best Buy Rankings for Online Degrees before you enroll. GetEducated now to avoid getting ripped off at the college bursar’s office later this fall.”
About: GetEducated.com is a consumer watchdog and advocacy group that rates, ranks, and verifies the cost, quality and credibility of online colleges and online universities. Our Mission is to educate, advocate and protect.
Founded in 1989 by Vicky Phillips, a psychologist and educator, GetEducated.com developed America’s first online counseling center for adult distance learners. Today, GetEducated.com remains the only consumer advocacy group in the USA dedicated exclusively to assisting online students in analyzing, comparing, rating, and ranking online colleges and universities. GetEducated.com also serves to protect distance learners from the dark world of online education fraud through innovative free services, such as
The Diploma Mill Police (SM), a database that chronicles consumer alerts on more than 300 fake online colleges and university scams.
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... 
