Best Online Colleges of 2024

For many students, online college makes postsecondary education more accessible and affordable. With flexible scheduling and limited travel requirements, you can pursue an online bachelor’s degree without entirely disrupting your work and home life. Earning a bachelor’s degree can also help you qualify for higher-paying jobs.

On this page, we look at the top online colleges and the most popular degrees available to you. We also explore how you might pay for college and highlight some of the differences between online and on-campus studies.

Featured Online Schools

With so many options at your fingertips, picking the right online bachelor’s program can be difficult. Here are some of the most popular online degrees to help guide you.

Online accounting degrees prepare you for careers in business, finance, and accounting. You study the principles of financial accounting and auditing, plus the accounting information systems that many professionals use.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for accountants and auditors was $79,880 in May 2023.

Online business degrees cover a lot of ground, including topics in accounting, economics, management, and finance.

With a business degree, you can work in various business and entrepreneurial careers, along with roles in the healthcare and information technology sectors. Overall, business and financial occupations earn a median annual salary of $79,050 (BLS, May 2023).

With an online computer science degree, you’ll have a foundation in computation and computer systems. You’ll have the skills necessary to pursue careers in computer support, networking, information security, and web development.

Computer science can lead to some of the top-paying careers in tech. For example, software developers earn a median annual salary of $132,270 (BLS, May 2023).

Your online criminal justice degree equips you with knowledge of the law and the criminal justice system. You’ll also acquire leadership skills that you can apply to many personally and financially rewarding public safety careers.

For example, police and detectives earn a median annual salary of $72,260 (BLS, May 2023).

An online education degree prepares you for a career in the educational system, such as a teacher or administrator. You learn about child development, teaching strategies, and how the school system operates. Educational instruction and library occupations earn a median annual salary of $59,940 (BLS, May 2023).

Online finance degrees position you to help people and organizations manage their money more effectively. You’ll study topics like taxation, financial and investment management, and personal and corporate finance.

Finance professionals earn some of the highest wages in the business sector, such as financial analysts with a median annual salary of $97,450 (BLS, May 2023).

Professionals with online IT degrees provide computer support and solutions to people and organizations. These programs teach you to tackle technical challenges using skills in programming, networking and security, and emerging technologies.

Computer and information technology occupations make a median annual salary of $104,200 (BLS, May 2023).

With an online legal studies degree, you can pursue many law-related careers, including paralegal, court reporting, and arbitration. Your studies will familiarize you with the court and legal system and law and society.

You’ll also enjoy competitive salaries, as legal occupations make a median annual salary of $99,220 (BLS, May 2023).

Nursing programs cover healthcare fundamentals, nursing informatics, and community health, plus clinical training. While your online bachelor’s in nursing can lead to various healthcare roles, your most direct path leads to the registered nurse (RN) career. RNs earn a median annual salary of $86,070 (BLS, May 2023).

In a psychology program, you study human development and behavior, counseling, and psychological science. With an online psychology degree, you can access many counseling and social service careers.

Community and social service professionals earn a median annual salary of $52,000 (BLS, May 2023).

Students who attend college on campus usually have to attend in-person lectures or classes to complete their coursework. Classes are on specific days and times, and attendance is generally required.

Online colleges usually include pre-recorded lectures that you can view at a time that’s convenient for you. Courses can be delivered either at a specific time (synchronously) or available for you to review at any time (asynchronously), so check beforehand to see if you’ll have to meet at a designated time.

Compared to on-campus studies, online programs feature considerably less travel. As such, you should expect a less traditional classroom environment. This might include a more independent experience with less interaction with instructors and peers.

Online college costs typically run lower than on-campus programs, but you can still expect to pay a considerable amount for your online degree. But how exactly do you pay for online college?

Like on-campus programs, you can pay for your online education through scholarships, grants, and student loans. In fact, many online students qualify for the same financial aid opportunities as traditional students, including federal financial aid. You can also find scholarships and grants from your school.

Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by TheBestSchools. Page last reviewed November 20, 2023.