2011 Online College Rankings
Overall Rankings - Other Reputable Online Colleges
Today, there are thousands of online colleges available for higher learning. Like traditional universities, they vary in reputation and academic prestige, but due to their recent rise in popularity, few well-researched comparisons and ratings are available on different schools and programs.
Our goal is to hold online schools to the same high standards as traditional institutions and to help aspiring students make informed decisions about their future. Through examining accreditation statuses, tuition costs, retention and repayment rates as well as student reviews of the colleges, we feel that we have have created a comprehensive ranking system to help take the mystery out of choosing an online education program.
To see the most up-to-date data on top-ranked online colleges, please check out our most recent rankings.
Overall Rankings
The table presented below shows the overall rank of every school. By clicking on the college name, you will be taken directly to the school's information page to learn more about the institution. To learn more about the data and how we arrived at the score you see in the right hand column, check out the methodology section included on our most recent rankings page. Each year we try to improve our data collection and ranking process, but the general criteria remain the same.
Rank | School | For Profit | Repayment Rate | Retention Rate | Tuition | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # 1 | California University of Pennsylvania Online | No | 54% | 77% | $11,010 | 56.29 |
| # 2 | Iowa Central College | No | 54% | 59% | $7,080 | 55.56 |
| # 3 | Abilene Christian University | No | 62% | 75% | $20,290 | 47.01 |
| # 4 | Norwich University | No | 74% | 76% | $27,370 | 44.28 |
| # 5 | Northcentral University | Yes | 57% | 100% | $7,750 | 43.29 |
| # 6 | Western Governors University | No | 51% | 70% | $5,870 | 42.79 |
| # 7 | Boston University - Bachelor Completion Program | No | 67% | 90% | $38,440 | 41.64 |
| # 8 | University of Maryland University College | No | 63% | 42% | $12,216 | 39.35 |
| # 9 | New England College | No | 62% | 58% | $27,450 | 36.84 |
| # 10 | Jones International University | Yes | 40% | 100% | $11,920 | 35.14 |
| # 11 | Liberty University Online | No | 45% | 78% | $17,202 | 33.09 |
| # 12 | Concord Law School | Yes | 63% | $11,050 | 30.19 | |
| # 13 | Concord Law School | Yes | 40% | 20% | $10,620 | 26.58 |
| # 14 | Strayer University | Yes | 40% | 52% | $13,065 | 25.80 |
| # 15 | Walden University | Yes | 41% | 80% | $12,140 | 25.07 |
| # 16 | Bryant & Stratton College Online | Yes | 23% | 60% | $14,891 | 24.86 |
| # 17 | Western International University | Yes | 36% | 24% | $9,792 | 24.54 |
| # 18 | Saint Leo University Online | No | 39% | 68% | $17,346 | 23.19 |
| # 19 | University of the Rockies Online | Yes | 52% | $15,360 | 23.16 | |
| # 20 | Colorado Technical University - Online | Yes | 40% | 52% | $10,715 | 20.77 |
Other Reputable Online Colleges
Guide to Online Schools would also like to recognize other outstanding online colleges that we do not have student review data for. The following online colleges also rank as some of the top in the country. For those interested in pursuing a higher education through distance learning, these schools are excellent options. Browse through the list below and check out the useful statistics. By clicking on a school name, you will be taken directly to the corresponding university homepage.
School | Retention Rate | Repayment Rate | Graduation Rate | Tuition Fees | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson University | 91% | 69% | 79.5% | $10,628 | 15 to 1 |
| Emory University | 95% | 65% | 87% | $17,987 | 4 to 1 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 93% | 80% | 77% | $6,433 | 20 to 1 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 92% | 92% | 74% | $19,242 | 5 to 1 |
| Lake Area Technical Institute | 84% | 72% | 77% | $3,318 | 14 to 1 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | 90% | 71% | 72.5% | $5,767 | 18 to 1 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 95% | 85% | 83% | $18,058 | 16 to 1 |
| University of California-Davis | 90% | 69% | 81% | $7.568 | 14 to 1 |
| University of California-Irvine | 94% | 68% | 81% | $6,923 | 17 to 1 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 97% | 65% | 89% | $8,195 | 13 to 1 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 97% | 68% | 81% | $7,216 | 23 to 1 |
| University of Georgia | 93% | 66% | 78% | $5,693 | 1 to 1 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | 94% | 73% | 81.5% | $9,645 | 12 to 1 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 96% | 69% | 88% | $15,845 | 8 to 1 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 96% | 79% | 85% | $8,548 | 9 to 1 |
| University of Notre Dame | 97% | 83% | 95.5% | $21,284 | 13 to 1 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | 97% | 69% | 83% | $12,743 | 11 to 1 |
| Vanderbilt University | 97% | 69% | 82% | $20,505 | 4 to 1 |
| Villanova University | 95% | 83% | 82% | $18,564 | 16 to 1 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 93% | 88% | 83% | $17,564 | 18 to 1 |
