2026 Rankings · Accredited schools only

The best accredited online degree programs, ranked by subject

Programs are compared on accreditation, graduation rate, cost and transfer credit. Pick a subject to see the full ranking.

Compare accredited programs

Featured rankings

Our most-read subject rankings · How we rank

How we rank

Accreditation first, then outcomes

  1. 1 AccreditationA school has to hold recognized institutional accreditation before any of its programs are considered. Programmatic accreditation in the subject counts in its favor.
  2. 2 Graduation rateHow many students who start actually finish. A program is only worth paying for if people complete it.
  3. 3 CostWhat the degree costs to complete, looked at per credit so programs of different lengths compare fairly.
  4. 4 Transfer creditHow much prior college work a program accepts, which can shorten the degree and lower its cost.

Schools without recognized institutional accreditation are never ranked.

Accreditation check

Is this school legit?

Look up any school's accreditor in the two official databases. Both are free and take a school name.

Accreditation explained

Institutional accreditation

An accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA reviews the whole school. It is what makes a school eligible for federal student aid, and it is what employers and other colleges check first.

Programmatic accreditation

Some fields add a second review of the specific program: AACSB for business, CCNE or ACEN for nursing, ABET for computing, CSWE for social work and CAEP for teacher preparation.

Spotting a diploma mill

Red flags: degrees granted mostly for "life experience", a flat price per degree, and an accreditor you can't find in the Department of Education or CHEA lists.