Choosing An Online School
Our mission at The Best Colleges is to help you get the best education possible, whether through a traditional brick-and-mortar college or university, or an online degree program. There are advantages and disadvantages to both paths and determining which one is best for you depends on your particular life situation and learning style. On this page you will find a regularly updated listing of the best accredited online colleges and universities around.
Earning a college degree online requires a significant investment of time, energy, and money. That’s why it’s important to make a thorough investigation of your options before making a decision about which online school is right for you. Online colleges and universities, like their traditional brick-and-mortar counterparts, vary widely in reputation, quality, and value. As you move forward in your journey towards choosing the online school that is right for you, take a look at our ranking of the top online colleges and universities, or some of our online degree program rankings by subject.
In making your decision about which online school is best for you, here are some questions to ask:
Is the school accredited?
An accredited school is one that has been approved by an independent system of accountability and quality control. When checking out online schools, be sure to find out if they are accredited, what kind of accreditation they have, and which agency or agency they are accredited by. The best form of accreditation comes from regional accrediting agencies. Some of the most respected regional accrediting agencies are Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. All of the school’s on our list have been accredited by reputable accrediting agencies and you can find their accreditation information by clicking on the links below.
Does the school have a good reputation?
When you go out on the job market, or start trying to get into graduate school, the reputation of your alma mater will be very important. If an employer or graduate school admissions committee doesn’t recognize the school on your resume, or it has a bad reputation, your chances of getting an interview or being admitted could be jeopardized. Surveying potential employers or graduate programs in your area of interest is one way to find out which schools have a good reputation in your area of interest. It’s also a good idea to check out an independent ranking of online colleges and universities to get a sense of which online schools are performing the best according to objective criteria.
Is the school honest and transparent in its marketing and recruiting?
Some online schools are more up-front than others about things like tuition costs, fees, accreditation, job placement record, etc. Be wary of schools that make you jump through too many hoops to find these things out. Online schools that are confident in their quality and their value will be forthcoming about these things because they recognize that they are selling points for their program and want prospective students to make an informed decision.
Does the school have a good track record?
Nothing tells you more about the quality and value of an online college or university than a history of retaining, graduating, and placing students in good jobs or quality graduate programs. That’s why graduation and retention rates are weighted so heavily in our ranking of the top online colleges and universities. If a large percentage of students aren’t graduating or are dropping out or transferring after the first year, be skeptical. Perhaps the school just happens to enroll a lot of really bad or hard to please students. It’s more likely, though, that the school or the program is low-quality and/or isn’t investing what it should in helping students succeed and graduate.
List of online schools:
- A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
- Abilene Christian University
- Academy of Art University Online
- Advanced Colleges of America Online
- Allied Schools Online
- American College of Education
- American InterContinental University
- American Pacific University
- American Sentinel University
- Anna Maria College
- Antioch University New England Online
- Antonelli College Online
- Argosy University
- Arizona State University Online
- Arkansas State University
- Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online
- Ashford University
- Assumption College Online
- Azusa Pacific University Online
- Baker College Online
- Ball State University Online
- Bay Path College
- Bellevue University Online
- Benedictine University Online
- Bethel University Online
- Boise State University Online
- Boston University Online
- Bowling Green State University Online
- Brandeis University Online
- Brandman University Online
- Brookline College Online
- Bryant & Stratton College Online
- Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University Online
- Cal State East Bay Online
- California Coast University
- California InterContinental University
- California State University, Bakersfield
- California State University, Monterey Bay
- California State University, Northridge
- California University of Pennsylvania
- Capella University
- Carrington College California Online
- Carrington College Online
- Chamberlain College of Nursing
- Champlain College
- Chicago School of Professional Psychology Online
- City University of Seattle Online
- Cleveland Institute of Electronics Online
- College for Financial Planning Online
- Colorado Christian University Online
- Colorado Technical University Online
- Columbia Southern University Online
- Concord Law School Online
- Concordia University-Portland Online
- Corban University Online
- Creighton University Online
- Crown College Online
- CUNY School of Professional Studies
- Dallas Baptist University Online (DBU Online)
- Darton College Online
- DeVry University Online
- Dickinson State University Online
- Drexel University Online
- Duquesne University Online
- Eastern Kentucky University Online
- eCornell Online
- ECPI University Online
- Erikson Institute Online
- Everest College Phoenix Online
- Everglades University Online
- Fisher College Online
- Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences Online
- Florida International University Online
- Florida National College Online
- Florida State University Online
- Fordham University Online
- Fort Hays State University Virtual College
- Fortis College Online
- Full Sail University Online
- George Washington University Online
- Georgetown University Online
- Gonzaga University Online
- Grace College Online
- Graceland University Online
- Grand Canyon University Online
- Granite State College Online
- Grantham University Online
- Harrison College Online
- Hawaii Pacific University Online
- Henley-Putnam University Online
- Herzing University Online
- Hodges University Online
- Hope International University Online
- Huntington University Online
- Immaculata University Online
- Indiana State University Online
- International Academy of Design and Technology Online
- Iowa Central College Online
- Ivy Bridge College Online
- Jones International University Online
- Kaplan University Online
- Keiser University Online
- Keller Graduate School of Management Online
- Kendall College Online
- Kent State University Online
- Kentucky Wesleyan College Online
- Kona University Online
- LA College International Online
- Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School Online
- Lasell College Online
- Lehigh University Online
- Lesley University Online
- LeTourneau University Online
- Lewis University Online
- Liberty University Online
- Lincoln College of Technology Online
- Loyola University New Orleans Online
- Lubbock Christian University Online
- Malone University Online
- Marygrove College Online
- Marylhurst University Online
- McKinley College Online
- Michigan Technological University Online
- Miller Motte College Online
- National American University Online
- National University Online
- New England College of Business & Finance Online
- New England College Online
- New Jersey Institute of Technology Online
- New York Chiropractic College Online
- New York Medical College Online
- New York University Online
- North Carolina State Distance Education
- Northcentral University Online
- Northeastern University Online
- Northwest Christian University Online
- Northwestern College Online
- Northwestern College Online (Minnesota)
- Northwestern University Online
- Norwich University Online
- Nova Southeastern University Online
- Ohio Christian University Online
- Ohio University Online
- Oklahoma Wesleyan University Online
- Oregon Institute of Technology Online
- Oregon State University Online
- Ottawa University Online
- Our Lady of the Lake University Online
- Pacifica Graduate Institute Online
- Penn Foster College Online
- Penn State University World Campus
- Performance Training Institute Online
- Philadelphia University Online
- Pima Medical Institute Online
- Portland State University Online
- Post University Online
- Quinnipiac University Online
- Rasmussen College Online
- Robert Morris University Online
- Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Online
- Rosemont College Online
- Rutgers University Online
- Sacred Heart University Online
- Saint Francis University Online
- Saint Joseph’s College–New York Online
- Saint Joseph’s College of Maine Online
- Saint Leo University Online
- Saint Xavier University Online
- Salem International University Online
- San Diego Christian College Online
- San Joaquin Valley College Online
- Schiller International University Online
- Sessions College for Professional Design Online
- Seton Hall University Online
- Sierra Nevada College Online
- Southern New Hampshire University Online
- Southwestern Christian University Online
- Spring Arbor University Online
- St. John’s University Online
- St. Joseph’s College Online
- Stetson University Online
- Stevenson University Online
- Stratford University Online
- Strayer University Online
- Sullivan University Online
- The Bush School of Government – Texas A&M University
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law Online
- Thomas University Online
- Thunderbird School of Global Management
- Tiffin University Online
- Ultimate Medical Academy Online
- UMass Online
- Union Institute and University Online
- University at Buffalo Online
- University of Advancing Technology Online
- University of California, Irvine Online
- University of Central Missouri Online
- University of Cincinnati Online
- University of Colorado Denver Online
- University of Florida Online
- University of Illinois at Chicago Online
- University of Illinois at Springfield Online
- University of Kansas Online
- University of Liverpool Online
- University of Maryland – University College Online
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County Online
- University of Minnesota, Crookston Online
- University of Missouri Online
- University of Nebraska at Kearney Online
- University of New England Online
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Online
- University of North Dakota Online
- University of Phoenix Online
- University of Pittsburgh Online
- University of Saint Mary Online
- University of San Diego School of Business Administration Online
- University of Scranton Online
- University of Southern California (USC) Online
- University of the Rockies Online
- University of the Southwest Online
- University of Wisconsin-Superior Online
- Upper Iowa University Online
- Utica College Online
- Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Online
- Vermont Law School Online
- Virginia College Online
- Walden University Online
- Washington State University Online
- Western Governors University Online
- Western International University Online
- Western New England College Online
- Western New Mexico University Online
- Westwood College Online
- Widener University Online
- Wisconsin Lutheran College Online
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute Online