A recent nationwide study of more than 1,600 universities offering online degree programs found that Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg ranked among the top ten of those institutions (Image courtesy of Facebook).
REXBURG, ID – A recent nationwide study has placed Brigham Young University–Idaho in the top ten of online universities in the United States.
That research effort by online course creators at Freedom Bound Business ranked BYU-Idaho at ninth place among U.S. universities offering online degrees.
Their study was based on an analysis of 21 factors including the cost of tuition, graduate rate and the number of different Bachelor’s degree being offered online at over 1,600 institutions of higher learning to determine which is the best pick for remote-learning students.
Online education at college level is big business nowadays, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). As of September 2023, there were nearly 6,000 colleges in the U.S., serving nearly 16 million undergraduates and about 3 million graduate students.
Of those post-secondary institutions, nearly two-thirds of them serve distance learners through degree programs, remote courses, certificate programs and training initiatives, all delivered online.
With so many options to choose from, according to NCES literature, many would-be students have a hard time finding a school that suits their learning styles, educational needs, career goals and budgets.
“Our research provides crucial information for prospective students,” explains Jonathan Pinedo, the founder of Freedom Bound Business. “It will hopefully guide them to choose an online colleges that aligns with their goals and needs.”
The analysts at Freedom Bound Business cited BYU-Idaho for having the lowest out-of-state tuition cost at just $4,416 per year for its more than 43,000 undergraduate students. They also praised the relatively low average student debt of about $14,000 upon graduation.
The university’s graduate rate is a respectable 50 percent – including online students — and BYU-Idaho offers 23 degree programs, 13 of which can be obtained entirely online.
Also drawing praise from the researchers at Freedom Bound Business is the Western Governors University. Based in Utah, the WGU is an all-online institution that ranked seventh in the nationwide study. Although WGU offers only four degree programs, it has more than 100,000 undergraduates enrolled with a graduation rate of about 65 percent.
WGU boasts an average annual tuition cost of about $7,500 and the lowest average student debt after graduation in the nation at just $11,000. By contrast, the best online university in the nation was found to be the University of Florida, which offers 25 degree programs of which 12 can be studied completely online.
The university has a graduation rate of 91 percent (the best in the nation). While it’s average out-of-state tuition rate is a hefty $28,000, Florida boasts that its graduates of ten years ago are now pulling in salaries of nearly $70,000 annually.
“There are many benefits to online college,” according to Pinedo, “especially for non-traditional students such as working adults and parents, who might otherwise not have the opportunity to access higher education.
“It offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing students to study at a time and place that is best for them … This freedom can even improve their choice of degree, as they are often able to online courses that local institutions might not offer.”
Based in California, Freedom Bound Business is a digital marketing agency that helps its clients win more customers through web design, search engine optimization and online advertising.
For addition information about the nationwide ranking of online universities, please go online to https://www.freedomboundbusiness.com/online-learning-statistics.