degrees

Are online college degrees really cheaper?


The average cost of an online bachelor’s degree is now more expensive than many face-to-face bachelor’s degrees.

online-college-degreeExamining data from nearly 700 colleges and universities in the Peterson’s Distance Learning Database, Hanover Research found that the average cost of an online bachelor’s degree in the United States is $43,477.

According to the College Board, the average cost of a face-to-face bachelor’s degree for an in-state student at a public university is just more than $35,000. Neither cost accounts for deductions due to financial aid, however.

“Our analysis serves to provide a useful base through which to outline the current types of degrees offered online, the most popular subject fields, and tuition rates,” Gretchen Novak, Hanover Research’s chief marketing officer, said in announcing the findings.

The 699 institutions examined by Hanover offer almost 9,000 online certificates and degree programs, the researchers said.

Many of the programs were offered by public non-profit colleges and universities.

The average cost of an online master’s degree program was $21,959, less than half of what it costs to earn a bachelor’s.

This is not too far from the College Board’s estimate for the average public, face-to-face master’s degree, which costs around $15,000 to $20,000, depending on the length of the program.

For out-of-state students, online degree programs are still a bargain. The average cost of a public four-year education for those students is more than $80,000, twice that of an online bachelor’s degree.

And average costs do not reflect all online universities, with some degree programs costing far more and others costing far less than $43,477.

The recently accredited University of the People offers degree programs in business administration and computer science while charging no tuition.

At Thomas Edison State College, students can earn credit through free online courses, provided they pass a pre-approved credit-by-exam program.

“While there has been a huge growth in the online student population in the last decade — over 30 percent of the postsecondary student population has taken at least one for-credit course online — detailed online education trends can be difficult to determine due to limited institutional reporting,” Novak said.

Follow Jake New on Twitter at @eCN_Jake.

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