While a degree may no longer be the entry fee into a great career in IT, it certainly can’t hurt. And with demand for IT professionals far outweighing supply, getting an IT degree now is a great investment with tons of potential return.
But in today’s busy world, it’s tough to find the time to spend hours driving to school and sitting in a classroom. This is where the wide range of available online IT degree programs can help.
With virtually countless online IT programs available, which is the best for you? The college-ranking experts at Online Schools Report help answer this question with its list of the 35 best online information technology degrees for 2020.
Methodology
To find the schools with the best IT programs, OSR went through a few steps. First, it looked at three schoolwide data points: student satisfaction, admission rates and the number of programs the school offers online.
Second, it looked at program-specific details, including median debt of graduates from that program, the number of degrees offered within that program’s umbrella department and the percentage of students at the school that graduated from that department.
Here’s our quick analysis of the data.
Florida is the place to be for an IT degree
Look, college is expensive – there’s no other way to put it. But Florida schools offer incredible value for their IT degrees.
The top-four colleges on the list in terms of in-state tuition are Florida schools: Broward College, Seminole State College of Florida, Indian River State College and Daytona State College. Florida then comes back to claim spots No. 7 and 9 in terms of tuition.
Florida also dominates in sheer volume with seven schools in the top-35. The next closest state is Virginia with three colleges in the top-35 list.
The best IT degree programs are pricier than average
While Florida crushes it in cost, IT degrees from these top-rated schools are relatively pricey on average.
According to a Value Penguin study, the average cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public four-year college is $8,230. The average cost of a bachelor’s degree from these top schools rings in at $12,023. That’s nearly a $3,800 gap.
Now, keep in mind there are a few private and for-profit schools mixed into the top-35 that drive up the average cost.
One good note about the proliferation of online degree programs is it’s minimized the huge gaps between in-state and out-of-state tuition. In fact, only 10 of the 35 on this list have different tuition rates for folks residing out of state.
Online School Report’s 35 best online IT degree programs
1. Bellevue University
- Tuition: $7,152
2. University of Phoenix-Arizona
- Tuition: $11,330
3. Capella University
- Tuition: $13,788
4. Western Governors University
- Tuition: $5,780
5. Colorado State University Global
- Tuition: $8,400
6. Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs
- Tuition: $11,315
7. American Public University System
- Tuition: $6,480
8. Trident University International
- Tuition: $9,240
9. Park university
- Tuition: $8,232
10. university of Management and Technology
- Tuition: $9,360
11. Franklin University
- Tuition: $12,216
12. Peirce College
- Tuition: $14,400
13. National American University-Rapid City
- Tuition: $15,000
14. Regis University
- Tuition: $32,260
15. Salem International University
- Tuition: $14,850
16. Kennesaw State University
- Tuition: $4,341 (in state) / $15,322 (out of state)
17. Monroe College
- Tuition: $13,896
18. Strayer University-Alabama
- Tuition: $13,662
19. Granite State College
- Tuition: $7,368 (in state) / $8,280 (out of state)
20. King University
- Tuition: $27,024
21. Daytona State College
- Tuition: $3,071 (in state) / $11,960 (out of state)
22. Broward College
- Tuition: $1,968
23. Liberty university
- Tuition: $15,734
24. University of Nebraska at Omaha
- Tuition: $5,954 (in state) / $18,644 (out of state)
25. Indian River State College
- Tuition: $2,496 (in state) / $9,360 (out of state)
26. Florida International University
- Tuition: $4,721 (in state) / $16,529 (out of state)
27. Columbia Southern University
- Tuition: $5,280
28. Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale
- Tuition: $18,224 (in state)
29. George Mason University
- Tuition: $8,672 (in state) / $31,118 (out of state)
30. University of South Florida-Sarasota-Manatee
- Tuition: $5,587 (in state) / $16,501 (out of state)
31. Seminole State College of Florida
- Tuition: $2,393 (in state) / $9,494 (out of state)
32. DePaul University
- Tuition: $38,410 (in state)
33. Tarleton State University
- Tuition: $4,008 (in state) / $13,752 (out of state)
34. Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network
- Tuition: $28,308
35. Campbell University
- Tuition: $29,900 (in state)
