School Data Methodology

Our goal in presenting this school data is to create a standardized and trustworthy method to assess institutions based on reliable statistics. Together with our internal recommend rate data, which is calculated based on student reviews submitted to our site, the data used in the online school listings were gathered in 2011-2012 from The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This site is the primary governmental entity for gathering and presenting data related to education.

We hope that the following information will enable potential students to better judge the schools they are considering and make a more educated decision in the end.

• School Type: By definition, for-profit schools are educational institutions that are run by profit-seeking, private companies. To learn more about for-profit institutions, please see the following website. Because there are some negative connotations associated with some for-profit schools, we've included this data point in the table in order to promote transparency.
• Annual Tuition: For most prospective students, the cost of a higher education is a huge factor influencing their decision. In an attempt to help students ensure their money is well spent, our listings include annual tuition rates. Please keep in mind that that the total cost of your degree or certificate program will depend on the number of years it takes to complete. Also, we have listed graduate tuition for all schools with graduate programs, and undergraduate tuition for the rest.
• Recommend Rate: Guide to Online Schools has access to a wealth of student feedback offered by thousands of students. Because student satisfaction is an important indicator of a school's success, we make it a priority to publish student review data in our listings.