Make sure you choose an accredited online university

To ensure that your online university degree is well respected, it is important to only attend an accredited online university with a trusted reputation. Below are the best accredited online universities for 2010. To request free enrollment information from a top accredited university listed below, use the “More Info” buttons below:

The 2010 Top Accredited Online Universities Rankings

1.
Kaplan University – One of the largest and well-known of the top online universities, Kaplan offers a wide variety of programs in associates, bachelors, and masters degree levels.

2.
AIU Online – Regarded as the most prestigious online university due to its job placement statistics, AIU is the top online university for career advancement.

3.
Liberty University – The nation’s leading evangelical university is consistently a top ranked online university. With nationally recognized professors and a Christian learning environment, Liberty annually remains a top online college.

4.
Ashford University – With a national reputation and numerous scholarships and grants for working students, Ashford University has become a top online university for students who want an affordable degree that employers respect.

5.
Devry University – The oldest of online universities, Devry offers over 70 campuses, making it the top online university for those seeking a dual campus and online school experience.

6.
Grand Canyon University – The nation’s fastest growing online Christian university, Grand Canyon offers both top bachelors and masters degrees in a wide variety of nationally accredited programs.

7.
Westwood College Online – Westwood offers numerous online associate’s and bachelor’s programs with a flexible schedule. In particular, their arts, computers and IT, and justice programs are consistently among the best ranked in the nation.

8.
Everest University – Everest is the ideal university for working adults, as it offers the most flexible class schedule along with numerous scholarships for working adults.

9.
South University – South University has quickly become one of the top online universities based on student experience rankings because of its top rated professors and personalized instruction. Its programs in business, healthcare, criminal justice, and IT are consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally among online universities.

10.
ITT Tech – One of the largest networks of campus and online schools, ITT Tech is the best online university for many technical degree programs, and is one of the top rated online universities in student surveys.

Accredited Online University Database Search

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With online universities sprouting up everywhere it becomes difficult to determine which schools offer the best online university package for which individuals.  To assist you there we have taken what we consider to be the best online university among three criteria; marketability, usability, and class quality.

Marketability

There is little question that among online universities, the University of Phoenix carries the best online university reputation.  Employers consistently regard the students coming out of Phoenix as prepared for the job market and as a result, a degree from Phoenix, more than any other online university, confers marketability.  Here, Capella comes up a close second as its relative anonymity leads most employers to simply conclude that Capella is equivalent to the hundreds of other small universities spread throughout the country. 

Usability
There is no better integrated online university than Capella.  Students consistently report good experiences with their iGuide system which has replaced the tedious classroom chatroom and malfunctioning webcams of old.  Here, DeVry comes in a close second.  Having brick and mortar campuses spread throughout the US and using an online system that has been perfected over many years make DeVry’s usability a unique asset.

Class Quality
When it comes to class quality there is no beating DeVry.  Because the school has so many physical campuses to supplement its online classrooms, DeVry is uniquely able to offer students a wide array of classes and majors.  Further, students consistently report quality teaching in every department.  Phoenix here is a close second.  With low student to teacher ratios and a student body large enough to ensure a wide array of class choices, you will not sacrifice must quality by choosing the University of Phoenix.

Putting it all together

There are many good universities out there. To maximize the investment in your education,
you must choose the best online university for you. Get started on your search today! See our online university reviews:

Accreditation is a sort of check mark given by the US Department of Education.  It states that a University has met academic standards necessary to provide its students with a rigorous and comprehensive education.  So what does that mean practically for you?  Because most students enter an online university to improve their marketability for future jobs, accreditation is very important.  Employers look at accreditation as a validation of a degree.  A degree by itself is simply a sheet of paper, but accredited it ensures employers that your education has met a certain standard.  The second, and potentially more important reason why you should care about accreditation, is that you are paying for your education.  The university education you pay for should be a quality one, and one way to verify that is through accreditation.

The University of Phoenix was the first online university to become fully accredited.  As such, it is typically afforded a higher reputation than many other online universities.  After Phoenix, DeVry followed suit.  DeVry is now a leader among top online universities not only because its online courses are certified, but because it offers students the combination to take some accredited courses in its over 70 locations.  Among the best online universities, only Capella has struggled becoming accreditied.  While the overall university has remained accredited for some time, the University’s struggling Psychology School has prevented Capella from attaining complete accredidation.  While this blight is certainly important, however, because the remainder of the university is in such good standing, this will not likely be a factor for students considering other departments.

Putting it all together

Hopefully by now you understand what exactly makes an online university trustworthy. To maximize the investment in your education, you must choose an accredited university with a good reputation. Of course, there are many good schools, and you may not know where to start. In that case, you may want to check out our online university reviews: