Which Online University Should you Choose?

Obviously you are going to want to find an online university that will provide you with the education that you need. The question is, just how to do you go about doing this? There are lots of online schools out there, some are good and some are really bad, how do you tell them apart.

The first thing that you are going to want to do when you are looking for an online university is to determine what it is that you want to study. This may or may not narrow down your options for you. If your goal is to get a business degree you are still going to have thousands of schools to sort through as almost all online universities offer these courses. If on the other hand your goal is to get a degree in physics you will find that there are far fewer options.

Once you know what you want to study the next step for most people is to start comparing the schools that offer the appropriate degree. The big thing here is to make sure that you choose a school that is regionally accredited. There are more than enough schools that have regional accreditation that there is no reason to consider one that is not.

The next step is to look at how the courses are offered. Some require you to stick to a rigid schedule while others will allow you to work at your own pace. Some courses require a great deal of interaction while others will leave you alone to do your work. You can find all of this information in the schools calendar. Take some time to think about how you like to learn so that you can choose the course that is right for you.

While it is not a requirement I would strongly recommend that you limit your choices to schools that offer both online and regular on campus degrees. The main reason for this is that these schools are generally more respected than online only universities. In addition if you got a degree from a school that offers both types of degrees there is no need to put on your resume that the degree was earned online.

The last major consideration when you are choosing an online university is the cost. This can vary by a surprisingly large amount. The best value when it comes to online degrees is almost always state universities, interestingly it doesn't have to be a school from your own state. Most state universities will offer in state tuition rates to all online students regardless of where they live. Private for profit universities are almost always the most expensive option and rarely worth the cost, they are best avoided.