Forbes Advisor Education ranks online degree programs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. We also rank online bootcamps and certificates. In the below sections, we’ve listed the sources and metrics used to produce our rankings for each of these primary categories.
We create unique methodologies for more niche categories, such as nursing programs and military-friendly colleges. Since each of these methodologies applies to only a small number of rankings, we have not outlined them here. However, we detail every ranking’s respective methodology on its published page.
Online Associate Degrees
We rank accredited, nonprofit colleges offering online associate degree programs in the U.S. using 13 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes and student experience. We pull data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites.
We score schools based on the following metrics:
Student Outcomes:
- Associate student graduation rate
- Median earnings 10 years after graduation
- Pell Grant recipient graduation rate among associate students
- Retention rate
- Pell Grant graduation rate vs. overall graduation rate among associate students
Affordability:
- Participation in a College Promise program
- Average in-state undergraduate tuition and fees
Student Experience:
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- Socioeconomic diversity
- Program being ranked has 100% coursework available online
- More than 50% of undergraduate students enrolled in at least some distance education
Credibility:
- Fully accredited
- Nonprofit status
Online Bachelor’s Degrees
We rank accredited, nonprofit colleges offering online bachelor’s degree programs in the U.S. using 17 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes, student experience and application process. We pull data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites.
We score schools based on the following metrics:
Student Outcomes:
- Overall graduation rate
- Median earnings 10 years after graduation
- Pell Grant recipient graduation rate
- Retention rate
- Pell Grant graduation rate vs. overall graduation rate
Affordability:
- Average in-state undergraduate tuition and fees
- Median federal student loan debt
- Percentage of students in federal student loan deferment
- Percentage of students who take out loans
Student Experience:
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- Socioeconomic diversity
- Program being ranked has 100% coursework available online (program-specific rankings)
- At least five fully online bachelor’s degrees available (schoolwide rankings)
- More than 50% of undergraduate students enrolled in at least some distance education
Credibility:
- Fully accredited
- Nonprofit status
Application Process:
Affordable Online Bachelor’s Degrees
We rank accredited, nonprofit colleges offering affordable online bachelor’s degree programs in the U.S. using 17 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes, student experience and application process. We pull data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites.
We score schools based on the following metrics:
Student Outcomes:
- Overall graduation rate
- Median earnings 10 years after graduation
- Pell Grant recipient graduation rate
- Retention rate
- Pell Grant graduation rate vs. overall graduation rate
Affordability:
- Average in-state undergraduate tuition and fees
- Median federal student loan debt
- Percentage of students in federal student loan deferment
- Percentage of students who take out loans
Student Experience:
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- Socioeconomic diversity
- Program being ranked has 100% coursework available online
- More than 50% of undergraduate students enrolled in at least some distance education
Credibility:
- Fully accredited
- Nonprofit status
Application Process:
- Acceptance rate
- Uses Common App
Online Master’s Degrees
We rank accredited, nonprofit colleges offering online master’s degree programs in the U.S. using 15 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes, student experience and application process. We pull data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites.
We score schools based on the following metrics:
Student Outcomes:
- Overall graduation rate
- Median earnings 10 years after graduation
Affordability:
- Average in-state graduate student tuition and fees
- Alternative tuition plans offered
- Median federal student loan debt
- Percentage of students in federal student loan deferment
Student Experience:
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- Socioeconomic diversity
- Program being ranked has 100% coursework available online
- Total number of graduate assistants
- More than 50% of graduate students enrolled in at least some distance education
Credibility:
- Fully accredited
- Programmatic accreditation status
- Nonprofit status
Application Process:
Online Doctoral Degrees
We rank accredited, nonprofit colleges offering online doctoral degree programs in the U.S. using 14 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes and student experience. We pull data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites.
We score schools based on the following metrics:
Student Outcomes:
- Overall graduation rate
- Median earnings 10 years after graduation
Affordability:
- Average in-state graduate student tuition and fees
- Alternative tuition plans offered
- Median federal student loan debt
- Percentage of students in federal student loan deferment
Student Experience:
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- Socioeconomic diversity
- Program being ranked has 100% coursework available online
- Total number of graduate assistants
- More than 50% of graduate students enrolled in at least some distance education
Credibility:
- Fully accredited
- Programmatic accreditation status
- Nonprofit status
Online Undergraduate and Graduate Certificates
We rank accredited, nonprofit colleges offering online undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in the U.S. using 12 data points in the categories of credibility, affordability, student outcomes and student experience. We pull data for these categories from reliable resources such as the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; private, third-party data sources; and individual school and program websites.
We score schools based on the following metrics:
Student Outcomes:
- Overall graduation rate
- Pell Grant recipient graduation rate
- Retention rate
- Pell Grant graduation rate vs. overall graduation rate
- Certificate offers a defined transfer pathway to a degree
Affordability:
Student Experience:
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- Socioeconomic diversity
- Program being ranked has 100% coursework available online
- More than 50% of students enrolled in at least some distance education
Credibility:
- Fully accredited
- Nonprofit status
Bootcamps
The Education team defines a bootcamp as a concentrated, immersive course that provides sufficient career preparation for a specific professional role. To be considered a bootcamp, each course must comprise a series of classes and require a set time commitment from its students.
We rank online bootcamps available in the U.S. using 13 data points in the categories of credibility, tuition, career support and student experience. We pull data for these categories from individual provider and program websites. We also source from reliable third parties such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR).
We score all bootcamps based on the following metrics:
Tuition:
- Upfront price per bootcamp
- Availability of installment pay plan
- Availability of delayed payment plan
- Availability of scholarships
- Acceptance of GI Bill® funding
Career Support:
- Availability of career coaching or mentorship
- Job guarantee
Credibility
- CIRR reporting status
- Student outcomes data transparency
- Pricing transparency
- Length of operation
Student Experience:
- Expected time commitment
- Availability of part-time and full-time enrollment options
Depending on the bootcamp category, we may also consider subject-specific metrics.
