Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania for 2024
Get detailed info on Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania and their online degrees, financial aid and scholarships, acceptance rate, tuition and fees.
The state of Pennsylvania consists of around 14 state universities which offer online education with various programs and degrees available. It comes under the Pennsylvania system of higher education. It requires all the institutions to be accredited in order to meet the standard of education.
An online resource called Pennsylvania Universities online which is given by the State System of Higher Education provides information on online education and the courses available in the state. Pennsylvania Distance learning association is another useful resource, which is a non-profit organization providing knowledge about distant and online education, training for the workplace, etc.
The students in the state also receive adequate financial support needed for education. According to the Distance Education State Almanac Report, around 24% of the students in the state took at least one online course.
Opportunities for college education in Pennsylvania
The state has 61 public, 86 private-for-profit, and 120 private-not-for-profit institutes.
Most of the programs offered in the state do not have deadlines and have a significantly lower tuition fee. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the total number of enrollment in 2016 was 725,770 and the total number of degrees offered were 25,877 Associate's Degree, 92,362 Bachelor's Degree, 36,940 Master's Degree and 10,077 Doctoral Degrees.
The state has developed rapidly in terms of education and has always been its pioneer. It is one of the states which have embraced technology for its development.
Following are the Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania in 2019.
1 Drexel University Online
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 98%
Average Financial Aid: $29,097
Acceptance Rate: 75.00
Total Programs Offered (192)
65
Education Programs
31
Nursing Programs
25
Health Science Programs
71
Other Programs
Drexel University is a university for research which has its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It offers gives various programs in degree and certificate levels.
Online degree courses are generally given for professionals to pursue their education in a convenient online format. It serves military members and their families by helping them to use military advantages and advance in education.
Financial aid is awarded by the institute every year. There is a grant called the Federal Tech Grant which offers up to $4,000 each year. Scholarships are also awarded for athletic achievements. The minimum starting salary of the student is $58,710 for Biomedical Engineering, Health Systems, and Science.
2 Saint Joseph's University (SJU)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 97%
Average Financial Aid: $22,407
Acceptance Rate: 78.00
Total Programs Offered (31)
14
Education Programs
8
Criminal Justice Programs
3
Business Management Programs
6
Other Programs
Saint Joseph's University is a private Catholic University which has its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It offers over 55 majors and minors and about 30 degree and certificate programs and 52 graduate programs.
It also offers several unique programs like study abroad, service-learning honors programs, etc. Online learning is given by this university to support the success of the student. It allows the students to access the study materials online and participate in group discussion.
It acknowledges the U.S. military service men and women by helping them pursue the courses with a military tuition discount. The university awards merit-based scholarships to freshmen which starts from $1,000 every year.
3 Gannon University
Erie, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 94%
Average Financial Aid: $19,727
Acceptance Rate: 78.00
Total Programs Offered (16)
5
Education Programs
4
Public Administration Programs
3
Business Management Programs
4
Other Programs
Gannon University is a Catholic university which has its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It gives about 64 Bachelor’s degrees, 11 Pre-professional programs, 24 Cooperative professional school options, 7 Associate degrees, 23 Master’s degrees, and 4 Doctoral degrees.
It gives a variety of web-based courses for online learning which are of high demand fields. This university proudly participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and helps the veterans of the U.S. military by giving military tuition discount.
The institution has 20 varsity sports and about 130 clubs and organizations for the students. It helps the students by awarding them a financial aid worth over $37 million every year.
4 Misericordia University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 100%
Average Financial Aid: $17,713
Acceptance Rate: 74.00
Total Programs Offered (23)
7
Health Science Programs
6
Business Management Programs
2
Information Technology Programs
8
Other Programs
Misericordia University is a liberal arts university which has its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It gives about 37 Degree programs.
For over 90 years it has been giving online learning by helping the adult students attain their goals both personal and professional. It supports U.S. military members by guiding them through their experience and helping them with appropriate support while in college.
About 99% of the students get help through financial aid in some form or the other. The institution has 41 clubs, special interest and service organizations. It offers some special programs such as Alternative Learner's Project (ALP), Fun and Fitness Program, Office of Service Learning, etc.
5 The University of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 94%
Average Financial Aid: $23,035
Acceptance Rate: 75.00
Total Programs Offered (11)
4
Business Management Programs
2
Health Science Programs
2
Education Programs
3
Other Programs
The University of Scranton is a Catholic university which has its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It offers various 68 Degree programs for Bachelors, 3 Degrees for Masters, 46 minors in the field of e-Commerce, Humanities, Entrepreneurship, etc.
It gives online learning which is taught by professors who have mastered in their field of study. It offers a program called Military Science for the U.S. Army members for their leadership development. They can also make use of military education benefits.
The tuition cost for undergraduates is $45,790 and for graduates are $965 per credit. Almost 97% of freshmen receive financial aid from the institute which is worth $31 million every year.
6 Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 99%
Average Financial Aid: $19,310
Acceptance Rate: 74.00
Total Programs Offered (30)
15
Education Programs
9
Nursing Programs
4
Business Management Programs
2
Other Programs
Duquesne University is a Catholic university which has its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It offers various degree programs for professional, masters, bachelors and doctoral levels.
It offers student-centric online learning which helps the student to earn a degree balancing their career. The university serves the U.S. Army members by helping them to pursue their education and make use of the military benefits.
The undergraduate tuition is $39,992 to $46,556 and graduate tuition is $550 to $1,695 per credit. There are less than 20 students in each class. There are a variety of opportunities for students to be part of many student clubs such as the Office of Greek life, recreation, commuter affairs, etc.
7 The Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 73%
Average Financial Aid: $4,945
Acceptance Rate: 58.00
Total Programs Offered (155)
31
Business Management Programs
19
Environmental Science Programs
15
Education Programs
90
Other Programs
Pennsylvania State University is a comprehensive university which has its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It gives above 160 Bachelor’s, 90 Associate and 190 Graduate degrees in the field of Medicine, Law, Professional Studies, etc.
It offers online learning to help students pursue their education. All study materials can be accessed online. The university also helps the U.S. military members and their dependents to pursue their education by making use of valuable resources.
The institution particularly focuses on its research work. It nearly spends about $927 million in total for research out of which $562 million comes from federal sources. It is ranked in the 20th position among other public universities and 59th position overall in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report.
8 La Salle University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 96%
Average Financial Aid: $26,430
Acceptance Rate: 77.00
Total Programs Offered (7)
6
Business Management Programs
1
Nursing Program
La Salle University is a private Catholic university which has its accreditation by MSCHE. It offers a variety of degree programs in the field of business, arts & science, nursing, etc.
All 100% of online programs are given by this institute that accelerates the student’s path to professional achievement. It serves the U.S. military by helping them to make use of the Veterans Affairs benefits and complete their education.
The average tuition is $30,700 for all the programs per year. Over 97% of the students get awarded with financial aid and scholarships. There are more than 120 student clubs for their development. The institute has 25 sports in Division I. It annually spends more than 60,000 hours of community service.
9 Robert Morris University (RMU)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 97%
Average Financial Aid: $17,482
Acceptance Rate: 80.00
Total Programs Offered (25)
7
Business Management Programs
4
Health Science Programs
4
Information Systems Programs
10
Other Programs
Robert Morris University is a private university, has its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It offers about 80 programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees. It also gives customized professional certificate programs.
It gives online learning which is designed in such a way that it gives flexibility and gives a professional focus. RMU serves the U.S. military by helping the veterans get all the opportunities and unique needs.
The graduate alumni of RMU are generally bound for great success and around 77% of them hold professional or managerial positions in their field of study itself. It has more than 120 clubs and organizations for the development of the students.
10 DeSales University
Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 99%
Average Financial Aid: $20,721
Acceptance Rate: 76.00
Total Programs Offered (24)
22
Education Programs
1
Business Management Program
1
Criminal Justice Program
DeSales University is a Catholic university that has its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It gives various major and minor programs for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in the field of chemistry, communication, American studies, etc.
It gives online learning which is unique and allows the students to balance their education with their daily schedule. Its online courses are both synchronous and asynchronous. It welcomes the students proudly and helps them make use of the education benefits which is given by the Veterans Affairs.
Around 97% of the students are awarded scholarship packages and financial aid that ranges from $2,000 to $20,000 and above. The institute has various students from different cultural and this helps the students to cope up with all.
