OEDb's Online College Rankings 2008

Online higher education is growing, but a lack of transparency is preventing it from reaching its full potential. Even though online colleges are now receiving increased respect from top employers, diploma mills and the like limit the prestige of a legitimate online degree. We think more transparency is a good thing; a set of objective, quantitative rankings — however imperfect — should help shed some light on the relative attractiveness of the most popular accredited online colleges.

These rankings have been produced by OEDb, a database of accredited online education programs. In our rankings we included the most significant degree-granting undergraduate online colleges that operate nationally, as determined by our selection criteria. To our knowledge, our 2007 rankings were the first of their kind, and these 2008 rankings are meant to serve as an update with more colleges added.

For each college, we gathered data for eight different metrics — acceptance rate, financial aid, graduation rate, peer Web citations, retention rate, scholarly citations, student-faculty ratio, and years accredited. The overall ranking, shown below, ranks each college by its average ranking for each metric for which data was available.

Overall Results

This table simply shows the overall ranking of each college, with its average rank in the right-hand column reflecting the sum of all of its ranks divided by the number of metrics for which data was found for that particular college.

Overall Rank	College	Average Rank
1	Upper Iowa University	10.813
2	LeTourneau University	11.960
3	Liberty University	12.540
4	Nova Southeastern University	13.323
5	California University of Pennsylvania	14.232
6	Grand Canyon University	14.709
7	Regent University	14.742
8	Champlain College	14.960
9	Westwood College	15.428
10	Tiffin University	16.700
11	Dickinson State University	17.111
12	Walden University	17.500
13	National University	17.758
14	Fisher College	19.887
15	Colorado Technical University	20.165
16	ITT Technical Institute	20.186
17	Kaplan University	20.418
18	Post University	20.467
19	Franklin University	20.547
20	Peirce College Online	20.765
21	Western International University	20.891
22	Florida Metropolitan University *	21.223
23	Bellevue University	21.335
24	Capella University	21.712
25	University of Phoenix	22.722
26	Berkeley College	23.268
27	Granite State College	23.929
28	City University	23.956
29	York Technical College	24.047
30	Salem International University	24.504
31	South University	25.342
32	American InterContinental University	25.382
33	Florida National College	25.553
34	Darton College	25.584
35	Grantham University	25.636
36	Everglades University	26.771
37	National American University	27.175
38	Jones International University	27.554
39	Western Governors University	28.087
40	Herzing College	28.305
41	Ellis College	30.962

Overall Results with Metric Data

This table, ordered by the overall ranking of each college, shows each college's average rank and the data gathered for each of the eight metrics.

In the interest of conserving space, we have abbreviated the name of each college. Mouse over each abbreviation to view the full name of each college.

We have also abbreviated the names of all of the metrics in the table header. Key to metric acronyms — AR: Acceptance Rate, FA: Financial Aid, GR: Graduation Rate, PW: Peer Web Citations, RR: Retention Rate, SC: Scholarly Citations, SF: Student-Faculty Ratio, YA: Years Accredited

Rank	College	Avg. Rank	AR	FA	GR	PW	RR	SC	SF	YA
1	UIU	10.813	67%	100%	48%	429	57%	352	14	57
2	LeTU	11.960	73%	99%	51%	316	76%	267	16	38
3	LU	12.540	27%	99%	50%	466	60%	1,450	20	28
4	NSU	13.323	50%	94%	42%	11,000	58%	9,500	26	37
5	CUP	14.232	78%	83%	49%	1,220	62%	2,460	20	57
6	GCU	14.709	65%	90%	51%	202	59%	261	17	40
7	RU	14.742	60%	84%	–	982	–	3,340	17	24
8	CC	14.960	58%	75%	64%	266	83%	398	16	17
9	WC	15.428	41%	100%	52%	143	27%	33	13	39
10	TU	16.700	74%	96%	34%	475	83%	141	15	23
11	DSU	17.111	–	86%	33%	383	66%	259	19	59
12	WU	17.500	–	–	–	1,480	–	2,160	20	18
13	NU	17.758	–	48%	54%	796	83%	18	16	30
14	FC	19.887	65%	99%	33%	274	26%	236	18	37
15	CTU	20.165	51%	65%	–	124	–	217	14	27
16	ITT	20.186	36%	91%	41%	290	48%	145	–	8
17	KU	20.418	–	77%	48%	193	39%	1,690	11	11
18	PU	20.467	64%	97%	28%	43	53%	31	13	35
19	FU	20.547	–	73%	11%	1,680	54%	358	19	32
20	PC	20.765	–	93%	34%	110	70%	50	18	37
21	WIU	20.891	–	80%	46%	150	49%	117	10	24
22	FMU*	21.223	68%	70%	84%	157	52%	29	19	39
23	BU	21.335	–	91%	25%	265	53%	201	18	31
24	Cap	21.712	100%	–	–	530	–	1,420	–	11
25	UP	22.722	–	49%	6%	1,038	26%	4,180	16	29
26	BC	23.268	72%	90%	39%	113	44%	927	–	15
27	GSC	23.929	100%	69%	10%	968	59%	16	9	27
28	City	23.956	100%	42%	–	247	–	109	7	29
29	YTC	24.047	–	89%	11%	69	43%	120	16	38
30	SIU	24.504	–	100%	38%	26	36%	62	25	45
31	SU	25.342	82%	92%	40%	106	34%	29	14	22
32	AICU	25.382	68%	73%	8%	423	49%	191	–	20
33	FNC	25.553	–	95%	50%	12	72%	5	24	11
34	DC	25.584	84%	87%	16%	165	41%	98	20	40
35	GU	25.636	–	0%	41%	68	–	82	–	46
36	EU	26.771	98%	48%	63%	4	87%	22	–	14
37	NAU	27.175	100%	90%	8%	122	61%	58	–	22
38	JIU	27.554	90%	–	–	263	–	461	23	9
39	WGU	28.087	–	59%	33%	506	39%	1,070	56	6
40	HC	28.305	85%	76%	46%	71	43%	23	15	3
41	EC	30.962	100%	–	–	12	–	13	–	38

Overall Results with Metric Ranks

This table, ordered by the overall ranking of each college, shows each college's average rank and the rank or adjusted rank of that college for each of the eight metrics.

In the interest of conserving space, we have abbreviated the name of each college. Mouse over each abbreviation to view the full name of each college.

Rank	College	Avg. Rank	AR	FA	GR	PW	RR	SC	SF	YA
1	UIU	10.813	16.38	1.00	13.12	13	18.50	14	8.50	2
2	LeTU	11.960	22.54	4.33	7.06	16	6.00	15	14.75	10
3	LU	12.540	1.00	4.33	9.48	12	13.50	7	31.00	22
4	NSU	13.323	5.62	11.00	17.97	1	17.25	1	39.75	13
5	CUP	14.232	25.62	24.33	11.91	4	11.00	4	31.00	2
6	GCU	14.709	13.31	16.56	7.06	23	14.75	16	21.00	6
7	RU	14.742	10.23	23.22	–	6	–	3	21.00	25
8	CC	14.960	8.69	28.78	2.21	19	2.25	12	14.75	32
9	WC	15.428	4.08	1.00	5.85	28	38.50	32	6.00	8
10	TU	16.700	24.08	8.78	25.24	11	2.25	23	12.25	27
11	DSU	17.111	–	22.11	27.67	15	9.75	17	27.25	1
12	WU	17.500	–	–	–	3	–	5	31.00	31
13	NU	17.758	–	37.67	4.64	8	2.25	38	14.75	19
14	FC	19.887	14.85	4.33	27.67	18	39.75	18	23.50	13
15	CTU	20.165	7.15	34.33	–	29	–	19	8.50	23
16	ITT	20.186	2.54	14.33	19.18	17	27.25	22	–	39
17	KU	20.418	–	26.56	13.12	24	33.50	6	4.75	35
18	PU	20.467	11.77	7.67	31.30	37	21.00	33	6.00	16
19	FU	20.547	–	29.89	34.94	2	19.75	13	27.25	17
20	PC	20.765	–	12.11	25.24	32	8.50	31	23.50	13
21	WIU	20.891	–	25.44	15.55	27	24.75	25	3.50	25
22	FMU*	21.223	17.92	32.11	1.00	26	23.50	34	27.25	8
23	BU	21.335	–	14.33	32.52	20	21.00	20	23.50	18
24	Cap	21.712	34.85	–	–	9	–	8	–	35
25	UP	22.722	–	36.56	41.00	5	39.75	2	14.75	20
26	BC	23.268	21.00	16.56	22.82	31	28.50	10	–	33
27	GSC	23.929	34.85	33.22	37.36	7	14.75	39	2.25	23
28	City	23.956	34.85	39.89	–	22	–	26	1.00	20
29	YTC	24.047	–	19.89	34.94	35	29.75	24	14.75	10
30	SIU	24.504	–	1.00	24.03	38	36.00	29	38.50	5
31	SU	25.342	27.15	13.22	21.61	33	37.25	34	8.50	28
32	AICU	25.382	19.46	29.89	38.58	14	24.75	21	–	30
33	FNC	25.553	–	9.89	9.48	39	7.25	41	37.25	35
34	DC	25.584	28.69	21.00	33.73	25	32.25	27	31.00	6
35	GU	25.636	–	41.00	19.18	36	–	28	–	4
36	EU	26.771	33.31	37.67	3.42	41	1.00	37	–	34
37	NAU	27.175	34.85	16.56	38.58	30	12.25	30	–	28
38	JIU	27.554	31.77	–	–	21	–	11	36.00	38
39	WGU	28.087	–	35.44	27.67	10	33.50	9	41.00	40
40	HC	28.305	30.23	27.67	15.55	34	29.75	36	12.25	41
41	EC	30.962	34.85	–	–	39	–	40	–	10

* Note: Florida Metropolitan University changed its name to Everest University on November 5, 2007, but all data collected for this study is for Florida Metropolitan University.

Ranking Metrics

You may wish to view the rankings for each individual metric.

Learn More About This Study

For further information regarding these rankings, you are encouraged to consult the in-depth documentation of our methodology; you may also wish to read about who we are and why we conducted this study.

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OEDb's Online College Rankings 2008

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Overall Results with Metric Ranks

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