Affordable online colleges – Learn a new skill or get a degree and jump-start your career
What are online colleges?
Affordable online colleges – Enrolling in higher college education has become more commonplace in the last twenty years.
This is not surprising due to the increasing demand for qualified professionals and the competitive job market we face. Online colleges have also become a very popular choice for students who want to pursue a career in a field requiring a major with a college degree certificate.
A lot of the online courses that are offered by online colleges are ones that do not require an extensive amount of learning but are rather practical educational choices, which often take you straight to job placement in the field.
Prepare Yourself For A New Career
This is not always the case as there are a lot of examples of colleges that offer undergraduate degrees in more challenging subjects, which you can continue qualifying for in graduate programs, to make yourself better prepared for the job market.
The difference between a traditional college course and an online program is mainly the format of teaching and learning you receive in these.
In an online college enrollment, you are expected to be a lot more self-disciplined, as most of your coursework will be left to you to complete at your own time.
This makes these programs a lot more flexible compared to traditional brick-and-mortar college education, where you are required to attend classes and extracurricular activities on a regular basis.
Online Courses At Your Own Pace
Going for a course in one of the affordable online colleges gives you the chance to complete your academic milestones at your own pace while you keep full-time employment or you look after your children. This could be more limiting to people who find more value in the real interaction between teachers and students and the real-life activities which you get to experience on campus.
Either way, there are multiple benefits to pursuing higher education online because, in the course of time that you have to complete your one program, you will have learned a whole lot of useful skills that you can apply in a real job.
When speaking of online college courses, it is important to point out that they are often more affordable than traditional on-site college courses and students can actually graduate from a reputable institution by paying less.
Course Fees
The tuition fees for every program in the different colleges vary and students must consider this before enrolling into a particular college course.
Is it cheaper to get a degree online?
There has been a surging interest by students to pursue an online undergraduate degree instead of a traditional bachelor’s, taking place in a college building. The reasons why students decide to stay at home while they get qualified in higher education are many, with the major one being affordability. Enrolling in an online college course is in most cases cheaper than a standard one due to the higher cost institutions have to pay to maintain their running facilities.
It goes without saying of course, that the tuition cost between colleges may vary depending on how the institution is ranked (the higher rank, the higher the tuition), what are the chances of employment after you graduate, and other important factors which determine the actual tuition fees by colleges.
The Price for A Virtual Degrees
Despite the variation between different online schools, the price for virtual degrees is still significantly lower than that for the traditional programs. The average price per course credit for online colleges ranges between $100 and $400 while the number of required credits for completion of a bachelor’s in most cases is 120.
With this being said, you can become certified in a full-length undergraduate degree online that costs you between $12,000 and $48,000 overall.
A Traditional Degree
In contrast, a traditional degree starts at $10,000 per year and the price can go up depending on the institution and the courses offered. Obtaining an undergraduate certification has become a reality for many people, who cannot afford to pay extortionate tuition fees every year, but they have instead chosen to go for a way more budget option.
With an online college degree, the possibilities are endless while the cost can be insignificant considering the quality of education you receive from these accredited institutions.
Choosing to do an online college course is overall the more cost-effective alternative, not only because of the lower tuition fees, but also because of the lower cost one has on commuting and accommodation fees. Staying at your home while you go through the years of an undergraduate student can save you thousands of dollars each year, which some students cannot afford to pay.
All Other Expenses
Other examples of extra expenses you will end up having with a traditional degree are:
- student visas (for international students)
- student memberships
- student’s socials
and so on.
Remote Online Studies
Studying remotely can be the only option for many people who find these expenses are unthinkable, especially if they run a household or they keep permanent employment to make their own living.
In this case, choosing an online college can be the perfect solution for everyone who is limited by high tuition fees, coming with most of the traditional ways of learning in higher institutions.
Considering the total cost for a whole two to four-year course before enrolling in a place is vital for prospective students since you want to make sure that achieving your certification is a tangible goal in your future.
What are the benefits that you will get from learning courses in online colleges?
The Main Benefits
There are numerous benefits to doing an undergraduate degree online. Since the emergence of smartphones and the global digitalization of many products and services, education has also been made more accessible to people than ever before.
Now students can pick an online college course offered by institutions remote from their hometown, without sacrificing any of their current living settlement, while they can still enjoy the perks of studying in a renowned college and receiving a competitive degree certificate in the end.
Self Paces and Flexible Online Courses
The flexibility of online degrees is probably the most important and highlighted benefit of online education, but not the only one.
By enrolling in an online college course, you adapt to a self-paced method of learning which teaches you how to be more self-disciplined and to stay focused over the course of your online program. This is a highly sought-after skill in the real working world where individuals, who are driven and self-motivated, are usually the ones chosen for roles over applicants with a general degree.
Being able to complete a few-year course at your own pace without interrupting your progress, means that you are very capable of following guidelines and being in charge of your own time successfully.
Prioritizing is another important transferable skill that you can earn from an online college course, which will certainly boost your employability profile when starting to look for a job.
Online Colleges at An Affordable Price
There are more benefits to online learning than most students are aware of when they make the life-changing decision to pursue a degree.
Online colleges allow people to obtain all the skills they want to have, at an affordable price and on a flexible schedule. Staying in college buildings for long hours to attend classes and extracurricular activities is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Many students prefer to be in charge of their own time and to progress into their degree without being restricted by time and place. In these cases, online colleges are the perfect solution for students who would rather plan and manage their own schedule instead of being allocated to a group one.
Flexibility and affordability are definitely the two most important benefits to online education that most people take into consideration when applying for online degrees.
Traveling less and low fuel costs are certainly more added benefits to this type of learning, which most students grow to appreciate over a length of time.
What kind of degree can I get in affordable online colleges?
Most people, who decide to do an online college course, come from a variety of different backgrounds. The majority of applicants are postsecondary school students who wish to pursue a career in a chosen field, and they are making their first few steps towards achieving the long-term career satisfaction they long for in a college degree.
Another fraction of the applicants for an online college education is adult students who are willing to specialize in a particular field and expand their portfolio through participation in projects and assignments.
Choose Your Online College Course Well
One way or another, having a degree from an online college certainly means that a candidate will be more competitive in the end, and they will have a lot more to present to their future employer. The main factor that every applicant for online college education must consider, regardless of their background in the field, is the particular degree path for them and the types of options they can choose from.
There are a number of different award-winning courses offered by colleges that are made available online. Some of them, which require hands-on experience, may be offered in a hybrid program that requires some attendance from students on-site or in a local facility. All of the conditions to passing an online college course must be researched beforehand; so that you are certain this is the right online program for you.
The Most Popular Online College Courses
Some of the best and most preferred degree choices of students are the ones that require not as much in-depth learning in a subject like some life sciences and engineering.
Instead, the most common kind of college degrees you can gain online are the ones getting you fully ready for the job market. Computer science is one of those popular degree choices in online colleges that teach you everything you need to know to be successful in the industry.
There is an ever-growing demand for skilled professionals, who are also nicely rewarded as such. A business administration degree is another popular choice, since this is one of the most well-rounded courses, covering a broad range of topics like finance, accounting, business law, leadership, and many more.
Lower Tuition Fees
Education is also an online college degree that is offered by many institutions, allowing students to work as real-life teachers while they get to inspire the new generation in a very rewarding and responsible job role. Amongst the other popular degree choices in online colleges are psychology and engineering.
Even though you may need more extensive training for these ones and potentially some practical experience in the field, these are still a real possibility for students who are not able to afford high tuition fees in traditional college degrees.
Other Popular Online College Degrees
Marketing, accounting, and sustainability are also following suit in terms of the popularity of online degrees, but of course, there are more examples of online courses offered by college institutions such as- Communication, Marketing, Data Science, English, Finance, Criminal Justice, Human resources and a lot more.
What’s the easiest college degree?
It is difficult to pick a single degree type as the easiest one due to the many factors coming into play with this decision. It largely depends on the individual person and what are their motivations and understanding of the subject. There are more technical-minded people who will find arts and humanities impossible to endure in a two or three-year college course.
Choose The Right Course Difficulty Level
The same goes for students who are more creative and prefer digging into literature or learning new languages. For such people engineering or accounting degrees, for instance, will be far from an easy task to complete.
Even though the difficulty level of online college courses varies with the individual, there are several ones that are known to give the highest GPIs of students at completion and the lowest dropout rate overall.
This makes them seem like an easier online college degree for some people who are willing to commit less to their degree and they don’t have the time to invest in too much studying.
The Impact Of An Online Degree and Your Resume
Having a degree overall makes your resume pop, regardless of what the degree is and how difficult it was for you to complete. One example of a fairly easy degree, according to the statistics, is English Literature. With this one, you are expected to read a lot, rather than completing many practical assignments.
Anthropology is another example of an online college degree that most people take out of curiosity for the subject.
Language-based majors are also in the category of easy college degrees that do not demand too much from the students, other than staying on top of their work and keeping up with everything new that is covered in the classes.
Easy Online College Bachelor’s Programs
Education is also one of those fairly easy bachelor’s programs that does not require so much extensive learning, but a good communication skill you can pick up in your degree. Other examples of easy online college majors are social work and sociology. If you are someone, who likes working with and for people, you can choose to do either of these online college courses, centered around human behavior and practical ways you can use your skills to help other people. History is another one of those online college courses that will never lose popularity, but it is not so difficult to complete as a degree.
Which are the “Most Affordable Online Colleges”?
When we are speaking of affordable online college, we must make clear what is meant by affordable. Cheap education does not always mean a bad quality one, but just the opposite. Online college degrees are a good example of both affordable and reputable education, which anyone can receive, from any part of the globe, without paying extra for traveling, campus accommodation, or the expensive college fees of traditional on-site degrees.
Foothill College
Foothill College is considered one of the cheapest ones for offering online undergraduate programs. There are a total of 67 major programs that are taught online by this college and some examples of them are Communication, Journalism, Business, Psychology, Communications Technologies, Work and Family Studies, History, Social Sciences, etc.
Tuition Fees:
There are two different tuition fees for these undergraduate programs based on your residential status. For students who are residents of the state of California, the tuition fee is significantly lower than the one for out-of-state students- $1,563 and $9,528, respectively.
Foothill College is a public college that has over 3,095 students enrolled in their online courses.
Peirce College
Peirce College is also one of the considerably affordable options for online college education, offering over 36 major programs online for new students. This is a private institution that has online programs in Computer and Information Sciences; Legal Studies; Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, And Firefighting; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business. Some of these courses are fully delivered online, while others are just partially online and require some attendance.
Tuition Fees:
The average tuition fee for online college degrees by Pierce College is estimated at $15,060 and the price does not change for different students.
Bismarck State College
Bismarck State College is also on the list of affordable colleges offering online education for a fraction of their students. This is a public college that has a total of 86 major programs, which are delivered entirely virtually. These are undergraduate courses, certificate courses, or associate’s courses, the majority being certified ones. The online programs offered here are the following: Computer and Information Sciences; Engineering Technology; Liberal Arts And Sciences, Humanities; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, And Firefighting; Human Services and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fees for online courses at Bismarck State College are $4,160 for residents from North Dakota and $5,820 for out-of-state residents.
South Texas College
South Texas College is one of the colleges that offer online education to their students at an affordable price. There are a total of 59 online majors offered by this college as the majority are associate programs (38), followed by certificate programs (15) and bachelor’s programs (6). Examples of some of the disciplines that South Texas College has to offer are Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering Technology, Work and Family Studies, Mathematics and Statistics, Business, etc.
Tuition Fees:
This is a public school that charges students differently, based on their residential status. Students from Texas pay $4,440 in tuition and everybody who is from outside Texas pays considerably more- $7,830.
SUNY College of Technology of Canton
SUNY College of Technology of Canton is also amongst the schools with the most affordable online programs for students. It offers 33 distance learning opportunities, with 23 of them being bachelor’s programs and the rest being associate ones. The options students can choose from in SUNY College of Technology of Canton are: Work and Family Studies; Legal Studies; Psychology; Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, And Firefighting and Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business. This is a public college that has over 921 online students in its online degree programs.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for New York residents is $8,650 while for students that are out-of-state the fee is considerably higher- $15,114.
Chardon State College
Chardon State College is one of the affordable online college options that students can choose from when they are on the lookout for an online college education. This college has 30 distance learning major programs to offer to students, who are interested in this type of education. Sixteen of these are bachelor’s programs and the remaining are master’s programs in some of these disciplines: Education, Library Science, Work, and Family Studies, Mathematics and Statistics, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Psychology, and Business.
Tuition Fees:
Chardon State College has different tuition fees for students in-and-out of the state of Nebraska, but the difference is insignificant- $6,948 and $6,976 – respectively.
Florida Gateway College
Florida Gateway College is also listed as an affordable online college, which offers over 24 distance learning programs for students interested in remote degrees. The majority of these are certified courses (11), followed by associate courses (7) and bachelor’s courses (6). Some of the online programs you can find in Florida Gateway College are in disciplines like Agriculture; Natural Resources and Conservation; Computer and Information Sciences; Education; Work and Family Studies; Business and Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences.
Tuition Fees:
The average tuition fee varies greatly based on student residency status and whether they come from the state of Florida: in-state students pay $3,100, out-of-state students pay $11,747.
Jones County Junior College
Jones County Junior College is amongst the most affordable colleges based on their average tuition fees a student pays to take an online degree. The online courses offered by this college are 6 in total- 2 certified majors and 4 associate majors. There are no online bachelor’s programs offered by Jones County Junior College. Students can find online programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences, and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for this college varies depending on the student residency status: students from Mississippi pay $3,830 while students from outside the state pay $5,830.
Central Maine Community College
Central Maine Community College is one of the most affordable options for online college education there is. This college offers 13 major programs, 12 out of which are associate programs, one certified program and no bachelor’s degrees at all. The types of courses students can find in Central Maine Community College are ones in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, And Firefighting; Human Services; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee also varies for students in- and outside the state of Maine- $3,784 and $6,604 respectively. This college has 921 students who are enrolled in online college degrees.
Georgia Military College
Georgia Military College is another one of the affordable options students have to choose from when deciding on their online college education. This school has 48 different majors which are offered online- 44 of them are associate’s degrees and the other 4 are bachelor’s degrees. In the Georgia Military College students can enroll in many different online programs. The types of majors students can find in Georgia Military College are Communication and Journalism; Education; Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; English Language and Literature; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Social Sciences; Human Services; Legal Studies and more.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for students is the same, regardless of the state they come from- $6,165 for all students. Georgia Military College is a public school.
Granite State College
Granite State College also stands out as one of the most affordable online college options for students. This college has a lot to offer with its 121 major programs: 73 are bachelor’s programs, 10 are master’s degrees, 10 are associate degree programs and 28 of them are post-graduate degree programs. The types of courses students can find in Granite State College are many different- Communication and Journalism, Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, Human Services, History, Business, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies and many more.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee in Granite State also varies for residents from New Hampshire and for ones who come from elsewhere- $7,791 and $9,015- respectively.
Stark State College
Stark State College is one of the most affordable online college options out there. In this public school, students can find 53 different distance learning opportunities- 35 of them being certificate programs and 18 of them offered as associate degree programs. The range of disciplines students can find majors in Stark State College, varies from Engineering Technology or Computer and Information Sciences to Business, Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences, Transportation and Materials Moving.
Tuition Fees:
There is a different tuition fee for online students who are from Ohio and ones who come from outside the state- $4,190 and $7,286- respectively.
Lakes Region Community College
Lakes Region Community College has something to offer to students who are after an affordable online college education. There are 120 major programs in this school- 66 of them are certified courses and the remaining 54 being associate’s degree programs. Lakes Region Community College does not offer any online bachelor’s degrees but students can choose majors in General Studies, English, Business, Health Science, Criminal Justice, and more.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee at Lakes Region Community College is also very different for residents who are from New Hampshire- $6,738- compared to the one for residents outside the state- $14,988. This is a public school with 133 existing students in online programs.
Bryant & Stratton College-Online
Bryant & Stratton College-Online is another affordable online college that students can find suitable for their educational purposes. There are a total of 75 online major programs in this college- 13 are bachelor’s programs, 27 are certificate-level programs and 35 are associate degree programs. Bryant & Stratton College-Online has online degrees in the following disciplines: Communication Technologies; Computer and Information Science; Legal Studies; Business; Human Services; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for all students enrolled in an online degree is the same- $14,836.
Virginia Western Community College
Virginia Western Community College joins the list of the most affordable online colleges in the country. This school has 16 distance learning degree opportunities for students- 11 of them are associate degree programs and 5 of them are certificate level programs. Virginia Western Community College has majors in Computer and Information Sciences; Engineering Technology; Legal Studies; Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Social Sciences; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee is also significantly lower for students who are residents in Virginia State- $5,355 compared to students that come from outside the state- $11,358. This college does not offer online bachelor’s programs.
Thomas Edison State College
Thomas Edison State College is also one of the most affordable online colleges that you can find on the internet. This school has 137 online majors in a broad range of degree levels: 24 certificate-level degrees, 24 associate degrees, 40 bachelor’s programs, 20 master’s programs, 2 doctorate programs, and 27 post-graduate level programs. Students can choose between many different disciplines for their majors, some of them being majors in Psychology, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Mathematics and Statistics, Engineering Technologies, Mechanics and Repairers, etc.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee does change for students who are residents of New Jersey- $7,926 compared to $9,856- for students coming from outside the state.
River Valley Community College
River Valley Community College is another example of the most affordable online college options out there. This is a school that has 68 major programs to offer to prospective students: 30 of them are certificate level degrees and 38 of the online programs are associate’s degrees. Examples of different online majors students can find in River Valley Community College are Languages, Marketing, Project Management, Computer Applications, Finance, Photography, Graphic Arts, and more.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for the online courses changes based on the residency of the students- ones who are residents of New Hampshire pay $6,940 while students who are coming from outside the state pay significantly more- $15,190.
Keene State College
Keene State College is another example of affordable online education that students can receive from a college. This school has only one distance learning opportunity that is offered to new students, and this is a master’s program in Engineering Technology.
Tuition Fees:
Everyone who has a residency from New Hampshire will pay significantly less in tuition fees- $14,568 compared to $23,756 for out-of-state residents.
Currently, in Keene State College there are 20 students who are enrolled online exclusively while there are 17 students who are doing their degrees in the college only partially online. This is a public college in which students may attend other colleges that have Engineering disciplines.
Edmonds Community College
Edmonds Community College is also taking part in the list of affordable online colleges that students can choose from. It has 10 different online majors, 5 of which are associate’s degrees and the other 5 are certificate degree programs. In Edmonds Community College students can do a major in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee in this school also varies based on your residency status. If you are a resident of Washington State, you will have your degree at much lower price compared to students who come from outside of the state- $4,017 and $9,399- respectively.
Vista College
Vista College is also among the most affordable online colleges out there. Compared to other online colleges, this one has only two distance learning opportunities to offer to students and both of them are associate’s degrees in Business studies.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee that students have to pay in Vista College is $15,680 and it does not change for people who come from states other than Texas.
This school has only four students who are enrolled in the associate’s degrees offered here. Vista College is a private institution that has a total of 3,500 students enrolled in undergraduate studies on site.
Medaille College
Medaille College is another example of affordable online colleges that students can choose to enroll in. This school has 23 different online majors that are offered as online degrees- 6 of them are associate degrees, 10 are bachelors and 7 of them are master’s degrees. In Medaille College students can find programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Psychology; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for these online programs is higher than most other online colleges but it doesn’t change for students. Whether they are residents of New York or they aren’t, the tuition fee stays the same- $30,450.
Ecclesia College
Ecclesia College should also be considered as one of the most affordable online colleges in the marketplace. This school has 21 different distance learning opportunities: 15 bachelor’s programs, 4 associate’s programs and 2 master’s programs. In this college students can find courses in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Theology and Religious Vocations; Psychology and Business.
Tuition Fees:
Ecclesia College is a private institution which charges their online students the same tuition fee of $15,950.
Currently, there are a total of 85 students who are enrolled in some of these online courses exclusively and another 14 students are only partially enrolled in online courses.
Great Basin College
Great Basin College also comes up on the list as one of the most affordable online colleges in the country. This school offers 98 online majors to students- 24 bachelor’s degree programs, 37 associate’s degree programs, and 37 certificate level programs. Students can choose between a wide range of online disciplines in Computer and Information Sciences; Engineering Technology; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences; Visual and Performing Arts, and many more.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for students from the state of Nevada is significantly lower than that for out-of-state students- $3,248 and $10,603- respectively.
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden State Community College is one of the most affordable online colleges you can find out there. This is a college that offers 25 different major programs to students- 13 of them are associate’s programs and the other 12 are certificate-level programs. Examples of some of the online courses you can find in Gadsden State Community College are Computer and Information Sciences; Work and Family Studies; Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities; Health Services/Allied Health/ Health Sciences and Business.
Tuition Fees:
The tuition fee for students from Gadsden State is almost two times lower than for the ones who are residents of other states- $4,860 and $8,790- respectively.
What can you do with your newly acquired knowledge from Online Universities?
It is well-known to many people, who consider enrolling in an online college course that having a degree certificate from an accredited institution makes you a lot more competitive in the job market.
Pursuing higher education in an online college does not always mean that you need to continue qualifying further in the field by taking a higher-level degree in university, even though this might be the case for some people.
In most cases, it means that you have demonstrated your abilities in a challenging degree course, and you can go on to pursue a job in a field that requires no further qualifications other than some real practical experience in your industry.
Through online college degrees, students gain a lot of useful and transferable skills that can be applied directly to their first job employment after college graduation.
