Since 2004, OnlineU has been helping students accomplish their educational goals by finding the online degree with the best value. By providing manually researched tuitions and salary data from alumni in our college rankings, as well as collecting over 13,000 reviews from online students, we hope to empower more Americans to go to college while lowering the overall cost of earning a degree. Our rankings have been recognized by over 475 colleges.
Optimal Choice Online Colleges
We researched over 1,000 online schools to highlight the ones that provide students with the best value for their tuition dollars. All the colleges on our Optimal Choice list offer low tuition, high alumni salaries, and a wide range of online bachelor's degrees.
Online Colleges with Great Value that You Can Afford
You don’t need to break the bank to find the right degree. Our best online colleges offer tuitions as low as $7,000 per year and have high salaries reported by their alumni. We have manually researched tuitions at every college to provide accurate, up-to-date information for over 250 programs.
| Rank | School | Annual Tuition | ROI Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Virginia | $14,640 | 98.9% | |
| Northeastern University | $16,230 | 97.6% | |
| Excelsior College | $15,300 | 96.9% | |
| Capella University | $9,600 | 94.8% | |
| SUNY Empire State College | $10,943 | 94.7% |
Hear From Real World Experts
Online Degrees that Serve Your Needs
Whether you’re seeking military friendly colleges, schools with open admissions, non-profit colleges, or other specialized online degree programs, we’ve got you covered. We understand that each person’s needs are unique and have done our best to create specialized lists to help.
Read Reviews from Students Like You
Want to know what students and graduates really think about a college? We’ve collected over 12,000 reviews of online programs. Learn which schools are worth it, which degrees actually lead to great careers, and what students wish they had known before choosing their college.
Get Started with Resources for Online Students
Interested in online education but not sure where to start? We have guides on financial aid, accreditation, and where to even begin as a new online student. We also have an online magazine where we publish expert editorials and up-to-date news.
Getting Started
This guide will provide you with everything you need to know to prepare for the online learning experience, from the types of classes you can take to transferring credits.
Financial Aid
This guide to financial aid will give you an overview of different types of aid available, direct you to helpful scholarship and loan sites, and answer your most important financial aid related questions.
Accreditation
This guide will explain what accreditation is, why it matters, what the different types mean, and how you can be sure that your school has this important stamp of approval.
Find a School Near You with Online Degrees
Local colleges provide a lot of great benefits for online students including discounted tuition, relationships with local employers, and an accessible campus where students can talk to school representatives in person if needed.
Optimal Board Advisor
Richard Vedder, distinguished higher education change advocate, serves as a board advisor for OnlineU, advising on content and contributing editorials. As an advisor, he supports Optimal's core mission of adding data-driven information to the higher education space and setting students up for career success.
Views and opinions expressed in board advisor's writing are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Optimal.
Dr. Richard Vedder
Vedder is an esteemed figure in the higher education sector, writing frequently for numerous notable outlets including Forbes, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Opinion, and Inside Higher Ed. He has also authored several books regarding issues within the higher education sector, including "Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs Too Much" and "Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America." Much of his writing challenges the current American higher education system and proposes solutions for economic, societal, and institutional changes.
Press Mentions
