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.
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"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 Vicky Phillips, Chief Education Analyst | January 19, 2009
Question:
I’m ready to go back to college online. I need an MBA. Fast. But I already carry $25,000 in student loans from my bachelor’s degree. Can you guys recommend a good—but cheap—online MBA?
—Brad Manchester, NH
Answer:
Brace yourself. The cost range of an online MBA is truly staggering. According to GetEducated.com’s National Survey of Online MBAs, you can pay as little as $7,000 or as much as $107,000 for an accredited distance MBA. With a $100,000 price difference between the least expensive and most expensive option, you’re smart to compare costs carefully before you enroll.
Accreditation, geographic region and the funding structure of your online college—whether it is a non-profit or a for-profit institution—are just some of the factors that will drastically affect the cost of your online MBA. Cheapest Online MBAs
As a rule, the cheapest online MBAs come from schools that are accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). Average cost of a distance learning MBA from a DETC school: $12,700. Nine DETC institutions—schools such as California Coast University, Andrew Jackson University and the American Graduate University—offer online MBAs with sticker prices well under $10,000.
If you pay less do you get less?
Maybe.
DETC degrees are not as widely accepted as regionally accredited degrees. (More than 85 percent of all colleges in the USA are regionally accredited).
Most DETC-accredited schools don’t operate residential campuses. Most operate solely as correspondence schools. For this reason, DETC-accredited schools don’t tend to carry as much brand name recognition with employers. Cheapest Distance MBA - Regionally Accredited
If you want a regionally accredited distance MBA, bargains abound. Most of these come from public universities in the South or the Midwest that have begun offering their degrees online to a national audience.
Chadron State College of Nebraska is a real steal at $7,060. In fact, among the 390 online MBAs GetEducated.com ranked in 2008, Chadron State was the most affordable.
Cheapest Distance MBA – AACSB Accredited If you have to have the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business’ (AACSB) stamp of approval on your MBA, East Carolina University offers the cheapest option—but only if you’re lucky enough to be a resident of the state of North Carolina. It’s under $8,000 for Carolinians, over $26,000 for everyone else.
Those who reside in the South can select from a slew of public universities that offer affordable online MBAs; since you don’t, Brad, try Morehead State University or Western Kentucky University, both in Kentucky. These schools offer online MBAs to students nationwide at under $12,000.
Have you called your state college system? Many state universities now offer MBAs online, or in a “hybrid” or “blended” format—meaning some courses are offered online while others may still be taught in the classroom. These programs are incredibly flexible and very cost effective.
State colleges rarely advertise programs to the public via Google or other net forums. Given the growing popularity of online education, chances are excellent that there may be a cheap—and highly regarded— distance MBA right in your own backyard.
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...
Champlain College’s 42-credit, unique MSL program educates non-lawyer working professionals about the law. This regionally accredited program delivered by our experienced faculty of attorneys was designed to help you build a greater understanding of the law. This distinct degree will help you become an objective thinker and equip you with the tools you need to appraise and evaluate real-life legal situations. Navigate the law with confidence! Contact us at 1.866.441.0427 Ext. 3517.
The National Universities Degree Consortium (NUDC) is a nationwide collaborative of eight respected higher education institutions, all offering fully accredited courses and degrees designed for distance learners. Visit NUDC to learn about 58 degrees and hundreds of courses delivered online, by correspondence and other media. NUDC's member universities: Colorado State University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of New Orleans, University of South Carolina and Washington State University.
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... 
