Top 10 Online Universities You Can Start Anytime 1 University of North Dakota. 2 Arizona State University. 3 Upper Iowa University. 4 Brandman University. 5 University of Oklahoma. 6 University of Illinois Online. 7 University of Maryland University College. 8 Liberty University. 9 Colorado State University Global. 10 Columbia College.
Completing your degree can help you further your career, and a fast and flexible online degree completion program will help you get there without disrupting your lifestyle. Many schools across the country and implementing programs that allow you to complete your degree online and have been doing so for decades.
Some online colleges offer just one or two start dates per year, while others offer monthly or rolling start dates. What Are Self-Paced College Courses? Self-paced classes allow students to access and complete coursework at their own pace, offering maximum flexibility.
Self-paced courses can be used while earning your online degree in subjects like administrative leadership, lifespan care administration, aviation, criminal justice, and liberal studies. The University of Oklahoma is actively increasing its self-paced course selection. #6. University of Illinois Online
Yes. Students can complete college courses at their own pace. In self-paced online college courses, learners do coursework around other obligations. They do not need to follow set meeting times or due dates.
There are many different types of online programs, and universities that are primarily or fully online – with little to no access to a campus – are one option. Here are seven things prospective students should know about these online-only institutions. 1. Accreditation is particularly important.
Self-Paced Online (SPO) classes are entirely online courses that allow students to set their schedule and deadlines as they move through the content at their own pace. Students log into Canvas to view their course syllabus and instructions on how to complete lessons, assignments, and exams.
Yes, you can complete that degree online. Online programs will accept your old college credits in transfer toward a new online degree. In fact, the vast majority of online bachelor's degree programs are degree completion programs.
We found that, overall, most schools do charge less for online than in-person programs – 80% of public schools offer lower rates for online out-of-state students, and 96% of private schools have cheaper online programs.
Yes. Western Governors University is a Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). This is a regional accreditation, which is the same accreditation as both state and private universities.
Easiest Degrees to Get Online. Some of the easiest online degrees include business, education, and liberal arts. Many schools offer online degrees in these in-demand areas.
SNHU believes in affordable, accessible education that caters to learners' schedules so that you can reach your goals. Our online platform allows you to earn your degree at your own pace and personalize your college experience to how you work best.
Over the past year, Coursera has offered courses in two different formats: self-paced (no start or end date) and flexible session-based (regular sessions that begin and end on specific days).
Many Students worry about getting an online degree wondering if they have any value or if the employers and recruiters consider it as a traditional degree. A straight answer to that dilemma is, yes! Most of the employers value online degrees.
An accelerated, online bachelor's program is usually the quickest way to earn a bachelor's degree. Students in these programs can take more credits at once, leading to early graduation — sometimes in 1-2 years. However, most bachelor's programs take about four years, and part-time online programs can take much longer.
Take AP courses in high school. ... Complete the College Level Examination Program exams. ... Work with your advisor and plan ahead. ... Consider taking online courses. ... Add summer, winter courses to the mix. ... Enroll in a fast-track program. ... Consider an associate's degree.
Yes. Students can complete college courses at their own pace. In self-paced online college courses, learners do coursework around other obligations...
The cost of self-paced online courses vary by school and degree level. Students should expect to spend $300-$1,100 per credit for undergraduate cla...
Yes. Self-paced online courses set a maximum time to complete the class. Many programs give learners up to six months to complete self-paced classe...
An instructor-led class uses a set schedule, with regular assignments and exams throughout the term. In-person and online courses use the instructo...
By some estimates, 10% of colleges in the U.S. are entirely online and 34% offer primarily online courses. A 2019 report projects that online e...
Yes, many colleges and universities offer completely virtual learning opportunities. Some students opt for hybrid programs, meaning that they take...
There are a number of colleges that exist entirely online with no bricks-and-mortar campuses. Examples include California Coast University, Grantha...
Start dates depend on the type of online program you've chosen. Many of the exclusively online colleges operate on a schedule that is different fro...
One of the common misconceptions about online college courses is that they require less time and effort. Although online students enrolled in async...
If you're considering enrolling in an online degree program, you will want to ensure that the school has been accredited by an approved agency, whi...
With so many respected, accredited colleges now offering online degrees, an increasing number of hiring managers have come to respect the value of...
The vast majority of colleges and universities undergo a process of evaluation to determine how well all aspects of the school compare to quality s...
When evaluating a college or university as a whole, institutional accreditation can come from either a regional agency or a national agency. Region...
Some schools, such as the University of Phoenix and Southern New Hampshire University, were traditional universities that have converted to predominantly online programs. Other notable universities have created separate online colleges, including Purdue University Global and the University of Arizona Global Campus.
By some estimates, 10% of colleges in the U.S. are entirely online and 34% offer primarily online courses. A 2019 report projects that online education will continue to grow for the next five years, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than the long and fairly steady upward trend that dates back more than a decade. However, it is not yet known whether the high number of online courses brought on by the coronavirus pandemic will remain a permanent part of schools' offering, causing a steeper growth trajectory than this data suggests, or appear as merely a one- or two-year spike in the charts.
Western Governors University (WGU) is a nonprofit school with regional accreditation, as well as a 74% recommendation rate based on 667 student reviews. WGU offers 23 bachelor's degrees, 31 master’s degrees, and three certificates and diplomas in four broad fields: business, education, information technology, and health and nursing. The university’s competency-based learning policy allows students to accelerate their program if they already have the necessary knowledge or experience, regardless of how it was gained. This leads to students finishing their programs in three years or less, on average. Students take assessments in the form of assignments, projects, or tests to prove their competency and move forward in the program. Online learning is asynchronous at WGU, so students can complete tasks at any time of the day (though assignments still have set deadlines). Tuition for online undergraduate students is $6,670 per year. In addition, a high return-on-investment score (based on graduate salary and debt data) grants WGU a ranking in OnlineU’s 2021 Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees.
Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) offers nine affordable online associate-level programs in fields including criminal justice, healthcare administration, and accounting. Online courses start on six dates throughout the year, with two 8-week classes comprising one semester. Each program typically takes about two years to complete if full-time students take two classes at a time. There is a full spectrum of support available to ensure student success. ICCC provides tutoring services through a program called Smarthinking, and the school’s Online Enrollment Representatives provide academic advising for the duration of a student’s chosen program. In addition, students can consult Iowa Central Career Services for internship and job postings, networking opportunities, and career coaching. Counselors can also advise students on continuing their education with higher degrees. Tuition is $315 per credit hour plus $30 per credit hour for e-book rental, and students can rent computers and hardware if needed. Because ICCC is accredited, students can apply for federal financial aid along with some state grants for Iowa residents.
California Coast University (CCU) hosts an online module with 13 undergraduate degree programs, 14 graduate degree programs, and 16 certificate or diploma programs. The fully accredited, fully online degree and certificate programs have no set meeting times or group projects. Students aren’t required to come to campus or take exams on a specific date. The university offers low tuition rates for both undergraduate and graduate programs, along with interest-free payment plans starting at $100 per month. Students can prepare for a variety of professions at CCU by pursuing degrees in business administration and management, criminal justice, health care administration, education, and general studies, among others. Time to degree varies widely because CCU is self-paced—students have flexibility as long as they complete at least one course every six months. The average recommendation rate for this university is a solid 90% based on the reviews of 63 students. CCU also offers academic credit for work experience or training for professionals hoping to earn an undergraduate degree.
Online students at Waldorf University (WU) can choose from 15 associate degrees, 86 bachelor's programs, and 17 master's degrees in criminal justice, emergency management, public relations, and more . The healthcare management program is comprehensive, spanning all three degree levels and featuring four specializations for master’s students. Waldorf also offers online certificates for extra credentials in fields like occupational safety, homeland security, and human resources. Courses start on six different term dates during the year and last eight weeks. Waldorf has a 100% recommendation rate, pulled from 15 student reviews. The school hosts a program called Start Point that allows students ages 15 or older to enroll in online college courses while still in high school. Tuition for undergraduate students is $290 per college credit hour and all textbooks are available for free through the Waldorf Book Grant and Loan-a-Book programs. Because Waldorf is regionally accredited, its students can apply for federal student aid. The school also offers a number of scholarships specifically for online students.
All schools included above were required to offer at least 10 online degrees. Degree coverage was determined based on data from The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and from schools' official websites, collected in 2020. Annual tuition data was collected from the NCES or a school representative. Recommend rates reflect internal data, which is calculated based on student reviews submitted to our partner site, GradReports.com.
Others find hands-on approach to be best and find they learn best when they work collaboratively in groups. Whatever your learning style preference or predilection, online education can help ensure that all the material is understood optimally before you move on to the next. This flexibility allows each student an ideal learning process – so you have significant input into your own progress and achievements.
Florida National University (FNU) offers you the option of going at your own pace in its online programs for Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degrees. At the Associates level, FNU offers degrees in Accounting (AA or AS), Business Administration (AA or AS), Criminal Justice, Education, Health Services Administration, Public Administration, Paralegal Studies, and Computer Development. At the Bachelors level, FNU offers online programs in Legal Studies, Accounting, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Health Services Administration, and Nursing. At the Masters level, FNU offers a Masters of Business Administration. Florida National University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award Associates, Baccalaureate (Bachelors), and Master degrees.
Whatever your learning style preference or predilection, online education can help ensure that all the material is understood optimally before you move on to the next. This flexibility allows each student an ideal learning process – so you have significant input into your own progress and achievements.
Ultimately, the greatest advantage of online education is that it allows you to go at your own pace, both from day to day and in the longer run. This is an advantage that professionals with full schedules and busy parents will understand.Earning an online degree at your own pace allows you to reach that all-important goal: to advance in your career ...
Another bonus: online classes are often not only friendly for your budget but also a responsible choice for the environment. Eliminate the needless commute – go the online route and free up valuable time you can use to study.
It is not necessary to wait for office hours or the next class period – students can send an email, online chat, or Skype their instructors to discuss their questions and concerns. This personal attention encourages each student to share and interact in order to further his or her own learning process.
If you need the flexibility of being able to study from a distance, without the rigidity associated with traditional class schedules, then an online college degree is an excellent choice. When you commit to furthering your education online, you can study any time you have a computer and internet access.
Online classes start at different times depending on the school. Some online colleges offer just one or two start dates per year, while others offer monthly or rolling start dates.
Accelerated courses often use multiple start dates to accommodate the varying needs of busy learners, but some traditional and self-paced classes also offer them.
Open enrollment provides students without strong academic backgrounds greater access to education, broadening the pool of potential schools and programs available to degree-seekers.
Open enrollment is most often offered by community colleges and other two-year institutions. In practice, open enrollment typically means eliminating most admission criteria, such as standardized test scores and minimum GPA requirements.
Rochester Institute of Technology, a private non-profit university established in 1829, enrolls over 16,000 students through its RIT Online platform in a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs, with numerous online degree programs among them. The university offers five seven-week sessions per year.
The private, Christian university is especially well known for its connection with American conservative politics and Evangelism. Liberty University Online offers numerous start dates throughout the year, with fall, spring, and summer semesters each divided into three eight-week long sub-terms and one semester-long sub-term.
The university offers six start dates per year for its online degree programs, in January, March, May, July, August, and October.
University of Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma self-paced courses allow students up to 180 days to complete a given course. Self-paced courses can be used while earning your online degree in subjects like administrative leadership, lifespan care administration, aviation, criminal justice, and liberal studies.
In most cases you can take two of these courses at a time, and each period has about a week or two between the end of one session of classes and the beginning of the next.
Of the 39 online bachelor’s degrees offered by Brandman, seven of them are “MyPath” degrees meaning they are entirely self-paced, competency-based degrees. The seven MyPath degrees are in general business, information systems management, management and organizational leadership, marketing, supply chain management and logistics, information technology, and organizational leadership.
The University of North Dakota offers 76 undergraduate courses in the flex format, meaning you can start them any time. Most of these courses are low-level and will fit easily into whatever degree you decide to pursue. UND offers 27 online bachelor’s degrees including majors like civil engineering, computer science, cyber security, data science, mechanical engineering, geological engineering, petroleum engineering, public affairs/political science, and social work. The public affairs/political science majors can be earned as part of a dual-level degree program where the student also earns a master of public administration.
CSU Global was developed to serve as the university system’s dedicated hub for online degrees. Among the 14 degrees offered by the digital campus are online bachelor’s degrees like computer science, healthcare administration and management, human resource management, human services, information technology, project management, and organizational leadership.
The University of Illinois Online offers primarily master’s and doctoral level degrees. The one online bachelor’s currently offered is in earth, society, and environmental sustainability. However, there are over 1,200 online undergraduate courses to choose from, and many are offered in the flex format. Flex courses can be started any time and completed at the student’s own pace within 16 weeks of starting the course.
Upper Iowa University offers two fully self-paced degrees 100% online. However, students can also take individual self-paced courses that fit into their online degrees delivered through a more traditional online format. Students can choose to major in criminal justice, graphic design, accounting, business administration, public administration, software engineering, information technology, psychology, or marketing.
Currently, the only online degree completion program that WLC has available is a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Leadership. There are specific conditions that must be met for transfer credits; if you have credits from a four-year college or university, you can transfer up to 80; if you have credits from a two-year institution, you can transfer up to 70. You can also earn up to 45 credits from CLEP test results, demonstrated competency, and evaluation of other learning experience such as vocational training. The tuition is affordable, and WLC prides itself on charging minimal fees. There are no on-campus requirements for this program so you can study wherever you may be and earn your degree in as little as 20 months.
Colleges and universities understand the need for adult or otherwise nontraditional students to have adequate opportunities to succeed. Completing your degree can help you further your career, and a fast and flexible online degree completion program will help you get there without disrupting your lifestyle.
The accelerated degree programs that the University of Indianapolis offers are a Bachelor of Liberal Studies, a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Consumer Advocacy, and a Bachelor of Science in Community Leadership Engagement. The programs may require some on-campus time but have been featured here despite that because they are such high-quality programs. Courses are eight weeks long, and the majority of these programs should be eligible to be completed online. In the event that you needed a face-to-face course to finish your degree, classes only meet once per week in the evening to ensure that you can get there without interrupting your schedule. UIndy online charges $330 per credit hour for these accelerated degree programs, which can be completed in just two years.
All of the accelerated degree completion programs were scored based on the criteria detailed above, with a maximum score of 200 points. Due to the possibility of incomplete data, some schools may not be adequately represented here.
Classes are presented in the standard 14-week format in the fall and spring, but the UWW also has two six-week summer sessions and a three-week winter session to help you finish when you want. All of the programs can be done entirely online and at your own pace, as quickly or as slowly as you need to go.
Some schools use a condensed form of classes. Instead of the traditional length, they can present the material in sometimes as little as eight-week sessions. This makes it so studying is more rigorous, of course, but if you’re motivated to finish, this can be just what you need.
Arizona State University is a public research university that sprawls out across the city of Phoenix, Arizona. There are five campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area along with an additional four learning centers throughout the state. Like most public universities across the country, ASU was founded as a normal school to train teachers. When doors opened in 1885, it was operating as the Territorial Normal School. Five name changes and over a century later, ASU is now one of the largest universities in the country and has the esteemed distinction of being an R1 Research University. U.S. News & World Report has also ranked Arizona State as the most innovative university in the nation for the past three consecutive years. Degrees are offered at the undergraduate level with more than 250 potential majors to choose from; at the graduate level, there are over 100 degree options. ASU provides these programs of study through 16 academic divisions.
Many online students choose the non-traditional path because they have other obligations in their lives that make the on campus experience an unrealistic option. For some people with full-time jobs and families, as well as others who simply do not live close enough to their desired colleges, online learning allows them to earn an online degree at their own pace.
Online learning doesn't try to replicate a traditional classroom setting, which brings with it the necessity to be in one place at a set time every week . Instead, as an online student, you can still uphold your regular schedule. You can focus on schoolwork when it makes sense for you, and at a pace that fits your life.
While a degree is an investment in your future, the cost can be challenging – and, in some cases, out of reach – for many. When Blake Venable decided it was time to go back to school and complete his bachelor's in accounting, he was prepared to take on loans to pay for school.
Given Venable was able to fully transfer in all credits from his associate degree when he started at SNHU, he cut his time toward completion of his bachelor's in half, saving a good deal of money as well.
Online colleges offer what was once nearly impossible: the opportunity to earn a college degree while maintaining a full-time job. As universities across the country rush to bring their programs online, students have more distance education options than ever before.
At some schools, tuition may be as low as $2,000-$3,000 per year, although an annual cost of $10,000-$20,000 is more common.
Whether to attend a college in your home state or out-of-state is often determined by three factors: availability of academic program, accessibility to services, and cost. If a public school in your home state doesn't offer your desired degree path, you may need to look at schools elsewhere. Some students may also want to take advantage of resources and services offered to campus-based learners (e.g. career counseling, libraries, student clubs) without committing to being on campus multiple times per week. In terms of cost, many of the cheapest online colleges offer discounted rates or allow out-of-state distance learners to pay the same tuition as resident students, making it an attractive option for cost-conscious learners. Other schools, however, charge out-of-state online learning rates.
Students may begin classes at one of six start dates throughout the year. Most online classes last 7.5 weeks.
App State Online offers degree and certificate programs to students living all over the world. Bachelor's degrees that can lead to a lucrative career include management and nursing. Additionally, information on each program's website allows prospective and current students to look into potential careers and employment trends.
UF Online offers many bachelor's degrees in areas like digital arts and sciences, environmental management, and recreation management. Graduate programs train the next generation of educators and journalists, among other professionals. Also, many active-duty service members earn their degrees online.
Founded in 1963 in Orlando, UCF confers more than 17,000 degrees each year, through both on-campus and online programs. UCF Online boasts 25 years of experience in online education and now oversees more than 100 online degree programs in healthcare, criminal justice, education, and other areas of study.