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College Selections :: Online College Ranking
Online College Ranking:
Finding a Ranking of Online Colleges
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Online college ranking is becoming an increasingly bigger field as more and more colleges enter the online education arena.
Whether it's new schools or existing universities launching online programs, online education is the fastest growing segment of the higher education industry.
If you're applying to an online college or university, you've likely been researching various colleges and learning about their rankings to see how valuable their degrees really are.
Unfortunately, there are almost as many online college ranking sites as there are online colleges. To gain a better understanding of the online college ranking system and choose the right online college, keep reading.
What to Look for in a Ranking Site
Focus on the Schools, Not the Ads
When visiting an online college ranking site, look for one with a limited amount of advertisements – the goal should be unbiased and informative rankings and reviews, not ad sales.
Of course, online ranking sites need to sell advertising to support the sites, but these ads shouldn't take over the functionality and use of the site.
A Broad Range of Ranking Categories
A good online college ranking should not only list how they rate and rank schools, but these categories should be broad and cover a full spectrum of student life.
A good ranking system will evaluate a range of areas, including:
- The online school's financial aid programs.
- Tuition rates and payment installment plans.
- Flexible admission policies.
- Accelerated degree options.
- Range of degrees offered.
- Institutional stability and overall reputation.
- Professor to student ratio.
- Student life experience (options for in-real-life interactions)
Good online college ranking sites will not only disclose their ranking system, but also how they acquire their information – do they survey students? Review syllabi? Interview university staff? Or simply collect and evaluate information from the university websites?
Ideally, you want to do your research with a ranking site that has done theirs. Look for online school ranking sites that actually interview and quote students and faculty and include actual statistics from the schools.
Look for a Reliable Source
Before you base your future education decisions on the rankings listed on a random website, ask yourself if this is a trusted source.
For example, Business Week puts out an annual list of the top ranking distance-education MBA programs. That's a reliable source.
Meanwhile, the Online Degree Observer is an unknown source that lists no contact information and only includes links to other advertisers. That's not a reliable source.
Go Straight to the Students
Meanwhile, sites like Online Degree Reviews (http://onlinedegreereviews.org) let you read online college ranking reviews written by students themselves.
It's an invaluable resource if you want to gain insight into how an online school treats its students, what the materials are like and how well they've organized and set up their online learning components.
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College-Selections.com :: Online College Ranking