The University of Alaska Fairbanks has been named one of the nation’s Best Online Colleges for 2016 by AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO), a leader in higher education information, resources and rankings. The school earned the 10th position on the new list, which ACO generated by analyzing cost and quality metrics of thousands of U.S. colleges with online degree programs.
“We wanted to honor the colleges and universities setting the bar for online learning,” said Dan Schuessler, CEO and Founder of AffordableCollegesOnline.org. “These schools are going above and beyond the industry standard to help make online education programs more affordable.”
Only public, not-for-profit institutions were eligible for the ranking. The primary data points used to identify the Best Online Colleges of 2016 include the following:
- Regional accreditation
- In-state tuition and fees
- Percent of full-time undergraduate students receiving institutional financial aid
- Number of online programs offered
- Student-to- teacher ratio
- 6-year graduate rate
An in-depth look at the Best Online Colleges for 2016 can be seen here.
AffordableCollegesOnline.org has distinguished its ranking scale by using a Peer-Based Value metric, or PBV. A “bang for your buck” metrics, the PBV compares the cost of a program to the cost of other programs with the same (or a similar) qualitative score. It also compares the qualitative score of the program to the score of other programs with the same (or a similar cost).
