MU ranked #13 in Top 20 Online Colleges

Mizzou Online is proving that the number 13 can, in fact, be lucky.

In a recent article published by TheBestSchools.org, Mizzou Online was ranked No. 13 among the top 50 online colleges in the U.S.

TheBestSchools.org, an independent organization devoted to college rankings, rated online colleges based on a number of factors. These included academic excellence, faculty credentials, teaching methods, reputation, financial aid and range of degree programs, said Brian Jenkins, the senior editor for TheBestSchools.org. Data was also collected from college websites and sources including the National Center for Education Statistics and the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

“[Students] know the colleges in our list have received regional accreditation, the highest form of accreditation,” Jenkins said in an email interview. “These schools put education first, not profits, and employers see these schools as legitimate schools serious about education.”

Mizzou Online was awarded a high ranking for its extensive number of degree programs and its association with the University of Missouri, Jenkins said. According to the university website, Mizzou Online offers over 90 different degree programs and more than 900 course offerings, earning the college a ranking in the top 50 national online colleges by U.S News & World Report.

With the number of students seeking online education constantly increasing, more and more universities are offering digital programs. In 2012, about 62 percent of higher education institutions offered online degree programs, according to a Babson Survey Research Group publication. About 70 percent of public institutions offered online degree programs. Those percentages have only increased in recent years, Jenkins said. TheBestSchools.org strives to assist students in selecting the right college from this large pool of options.

“We want students to know they don’t have to choose just from well known for-profit online colleges,” Jenkins said. “Often public and non-profit schools provide the online degree program they’re seeking.”

Top 20 Online College Programs

1) Penn State World Campus
2) University of Florida Distance Learning
3) UMass Online
4) Boston University
5) Northeastern University
6) Indiana University, IU Online
7) Arizona State University, ASU Online
8) Florida State University, Office of Distance Learning
9) Drexel University, Drexel Online
10) Oregon State University, OSU Ecampus
11) Rochester Institute of Technology, RIT Online
12) Washington State University Global Campus
13) Mizzou Online, University of Missouri
14) Colorado State University-Global Campus
15) University of Central Florida
16) Liberty University Online
17) Robert Morris University, RMU Online
18) University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB Online
19) University of Minnesota Crookston
20) Northern Arizona University, NAU-Extended Campuses