Best Online Colleges in California for 2024
Get detailed info on Best Online Colleges in California and their online degrees, financial aid and scholarships, acceptance rate, tuition and fees.
An online college education is a great way to study with flexibility, so you can have time to take care of your family, continue working, or just have more time to chill out!
Depending on the program, you might either complete your education entirely online, or you might go on-campus on occasion for certain exams or projects. If you want that to happen in California, you might want to look out for online colleges in CA. Choosing an online college in California will also help you make more network connections in a state that’s ahead of many in tech and innovation.
Luckily, there are plenty of online schools in California! We’ve put together an updated list of the best online colleges in California for your reference! Let’s get started!
Best Online Colleges in California 2022
1 University of Southern California (USC)
Los Angeles, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 58%
Average Financial Aid: $34,145
Acceptance Rate: 17.00
Total Programs Offered (119)
33
Engineering Programs
30
Health Science Programs
11
Business Management Programs
45
Other Programs
University of Southern California (USC) is the world's leading private research university. It is accredited by WASC Senior College University Commission (WSCUC). It offers Bachelor’s degree, Graduate degree, Doctoral along with many online certificates. The total number of faculties is 6080.
The average GPA requirement for admission is a GPA of 3.76. If the student belongs to Cal Grant A category, then they need a 3.0 GPA and for Cal Grant B category its 2.0 GPA.
USC gives financial support in terms of Loans, Scholarships, Grants to financially weak students, so they can fulfill their higher educational dreams.
The university provides various facilities to military students such as veterans’ education benefits, transport support, veteran-specific campus events, and programs.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appreciated the university with a Green Power Leadership Award.
2 Azusa Pacific University (APU)
Azusa , California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 97%
Average Financial Aid: $19,840
Acceptance Rate: 61.00
Total Programs Offered (210)
40
Business Management Programs
31
Health Science Programs
28
Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
111
Other Programs
Azusa Pacific University is one of the largest Christian universities in the nation which is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). It provides more than 200 online and on-campus programs in Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorates, certificates, and credentials.
The average GPA requirement for freshmen to get admitted in this university is a GPA of 3.64 on a scale of 4.00. It also requires ACT and SAT scores of 21 and 1070 and above respectively.
It is a Yellow Ribbon University and Military Friendly School as it gives affordable and quality education to the military members, veterans and their families.
The university has various undergraduate, athletic, academic, service, social, graduate and professional clubs. It provides the students with environment-friendly and affordable teal blue bikes for transportation.
3 California Lutheran University (CLU)
Thousand Oaks, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 97%
Average Financial Aid: $25,113
Acceptance Rate: 64.00
Total Programs Offered (7)
4
Business Management Programs
2
Education Programs
1
Accounting Program
California Lutheran University is a private residential university. It is accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
It offers bachelor’s degree, graduate’s degree in liberal arts and science and doctoral degree at a lower cost.
They have 415 dedicated faculty members who deal with undergraduate and graduate students, among them, 255 are for part-time and remaining for full time.
In terms of financial support provided, the university has provided scholarships to 97% of its students in 2018. It also provides various support facilities to international students like individual social support, campus safety, disability services, technology support, etc.
The minimum average grade for taking admission here is 3.65 GPA.
The university provides many leadership awards like Kingsman and regals award, international leadership award, diversity advocate award, outstanding student organization award and many more to the students for their extraordinary performance.
4 California Baptist University (CBU)
Riverside, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 94%
Average Financial Aid: $16,151
Acceptance Rate: 64.00
Total Programs Offered (40)
11
Business Management Programs
5
Public Administration Programs
4
Education Programs
20
Other Programs
California Baptist University is a private Christian university in Southern California which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WSCUC). It offers programs in Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, and Credential programs.
CBU online has more than 40 online Bachelors and Masters degree programs. It was designed for working professionals giving them flexibility and ease of transfer.
It is a military friendly Yellow Ribbon school and provides several scholarships to undergraduates and graduates. It was ranked at number 20 in the nation for Veterans in 2015.
CBU has many student clubs and organizations for learning and enjoyment. Its athletics team called the Lancer Athletics Association has entered NCAA Division I.
5 Concordia University Irvine (CUI)
Irvine, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 98%
Average Financial Aid: $19,652
Acceptance Rate: 65.00
Total Programs Offered (25)
10
Education Programs
5
Business Management Programs
3
Psychology Programs
7
Other Programs
Concordia University Irvine is a Lutheran Christian university having a beautiful campus in Southern California. It is accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). It offers undergraduate majors, minors’ programs along with online degree programs.
This university is having around 436 faculty members in which 90 has been allotted for full time and rest for part-time. The overall percentage of full-time faculty who are having a Ph.D. or terminal degree is approximately 67.8%.
The minimum average grade criteria required for admission in this university is 3.44 GPA.
The university awards $40 million of federal, state and institutional financial aid on an average every year. Almost 98% of students are able to get financial aid.
The university is 5 times NAIA national champion in diving.
6 University of La Verne
La Verne, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 98%
Average Financial Aid: $28,461
Acceptance Rate: 48.00
Total Programs Offered (12)
10
Business Management Programs
1
Public Administration Program
1
Human Services Program
University of La Verne is a private university which is accredited by the Senior College Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It provides 60 majors, more than 20 master’s programs, 4 doctorates and dozens of certificates and credentials.
The university has small class sizes for better communication and learning purposes. It is one of the top-ranked online schools which offers both bachelor’s and master’s program online.
It has helped the military personnel for more than 45 years to achieve their educational goals. Active military members, their spouses, and their dependents below 26 years get military tuition rates.
It offers about $50 million institutional aids to the students such as La Verne Academic Scholarships (undergraduates), La Verne Performance Scholarships (freshman and transfer students) and International Student Scholastic Awards (international students).
To enhance and develop leadership and interpersonal skills of the students there are various student clubs and organizations on campus.
7 California State University, Fresno
Fresno, California
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 83%
Average Financial Aid: $10,006
Acceptance Rate: 54.00
Total Programs Offered (6)
2
Nursing Programs
1
Education Program
1
Environmental Science Program
2
Other Programs
California State University is a public university. It is having accreditation from the California State Board of Education and WSCUC. It offers 45 master’s degree programs, 10 certificates of advanced study and doctorate in nursing practice. It provides quality education along with professional preparations to around 3000 graduate students.
This university has 2334 faculties among which 96% faculties have doctoral and terminal degrees in their respective domains.
The minimum grade criteria required for admission at CSU is 3.00 GPA.
It gives financial support to its students in terms of scholarships, loans, grants, fellowships and many more. In 2018, 80% of the students received scholarships and loans from the university.
The university regularly gives many awards to its students and faculties for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields of teaching and study.
8 Biola University
La Mirada, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 97%
Average Financial Aid: $16,654
Acceptance Rate: 65.00
Total Programs Offered (42)
33
Education Programs
7
Theology Programs
1
Business Management Program
1
Other Program
Biola University is a nationally ranked Christian university which is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. It offers more than 150 programs in undergraduate, graduate, masters, certificate and doctoral levels.
To enroll in this university, one should have an unweighted GPA of 3.0. Also, a composite ACT score of 19 or above is required.
It provides online degree and certificate programs to pursue education from anywhere in the world. It is a military-friendly school as it provides various benefits like Yellow Ribbon Scholarship, Ahmanson Veterans’ Scholarship, etc. to help the veterans to complete their education.
About 85% of the students receive some type of aid and more than $55 million is distributed as scholarships to students every year.
9 University of California, Riverside (UCR)
Riverside, California
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 81%
Average Financial Aid: $19,447
Acceptance Rate: 66.00
Total Programs Offered (98)
32
Business Management Programs
20
Education Programs
8
Engineering Programs
38
Other Programs
The University of California Riverside is accredited by WSCUC and is a public research institution. UCR offers various online courses and on-campus programs in undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees along with summer session classes.
An average GPA of 3.74 is required to get into this university.
The university provides scholarships, grants, and loans to the eligible students. Around 86% of their undergraduate students receive financial aid and 70% of those receive aid for their full tuition fees.
It also provides military aid for those who belong to veterans’ families. In addition to this, the college provides its students with counseling services, career services and many more.
10 The Masters University
Santa Clarita, California
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 95%
Average Financial Aid: $17,348
Acceptance Rate: 83.00
Total Programs Offered (7)
2
Arts Programs
2
Business Management Programs
2
Theology Programs
1
Other Program
The Master’s University is a private university which is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs.
It provides 100% online degrees. Also, it allows dual enrollment where the students can take a college-level Bible and General Education courses and earn college credits at a reduced cost.
The university provides many aids and scholarships such as Academic Scholarships, Ministry Matching Grant, Athletic Scholarships, Music Scholarships, etc.
The general requirements to enroll here is to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Office of Student Advancement gives various services for the students from international, multicultural and military backgrounds.
