The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
Most students who start an online bachelor’s program already have a few college credits to their name.
But even with a head start, they’re not likely to zip through their degree in two or three years.
Find out what [online students should know about graduation rates.]
Most online undergraduate students tend to be nontraditional students balancing work, family and school commitments, which can make it tough to graduate quickly.
Overall, only 35 percent of students who in 2007-2008 entered one of the 69 online bachelor’s programs that reported six-year completion rate data to U.S. News graduated within six years.
At schools with the lowest six-year completion rates — the for-profit institutions Kaplan University and DeVry University — only 16 percent of students graduated within six years.
Yet, there are certainly schools with a good track record of graduating students within a few years of enrollment.
Learn how to [transfer academic credits to online programs.]
Most schools with the highest six-year completion rates for the online bachelor’s students who entered in 2007-2008 had their headquarters in the Midwest or the South. At the University of Georgia, for example, 100 percent of students graduated within six years.
Below are the 10 ranked online bachelor’s programs with the highest six-year completion rates based on students who entered in 2007-2008. Unranked schools, which have fewer than 10 students or did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School name (state) | School type | Percentage of students starting in 2007-2008 who graduated in six years | Number of students entering in 2007-2008 | U.S. News rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia | public | 100% | 16 | 90 (tie) |
| University of Missouri–St. Louis | public | 93% | 28 | 50 (tie) |
| Siena Heights University (MI) | private | 91% | 87 | 25 (tie) |
| California University of Pennsylvania | public | 90% | 163 | 82 (tie) |
| Malone University (OH) | private | 84% | 63 | 40 (tie) |
| University of Central Florida | public | 80% | 1,105 | 50 (tie) |
| Madonna University (MI) | private | 78% | 60 | 136 (tie) |
| Oklahoma Panhandle State University | public | 77% | 22 | 90 (tie) |
| Fort Hays State University (KS) | public | 73% | 1,376 | 16 (tie) |
| Boise State University (ID) | public | 72% | 64 | 72 (tie) |
School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed 296 public, private and for-profit schools for our 2015 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs rankings. Schools reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of these survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Online Bachelor’s Programs rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. These data are specific to schools’ online bachelor’s degree program offerings and have no influence over U.S. News’ Best Colleges rankings assessing traditional bachelor’s programs. The completion rate data above are correct as of Feb. 10, 2015.
More from U.S. News
4 Hidden Costs of Online Degrees
Decipher the True Cost of Your Online Degree
U.S. News Data: Online Education Isn’t Always Cheap
Online Bachelor’s Programs With the Highest 6-Year Completion Rates originally appeared on usnews.com
