About Online Universities and why you should consider applying

Students and individuals can now obtain an academic degree from the comfort of their homes, thanks to the advent of online universities. Online universities are tertiary institutions located on the internet with no physical building acting as a campus.

They’re quite similar to the e-commerce stores we have today only that you learn from them rather than buy from them.

This method of education is recommended if you wish to possess a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree but are unable to attend a brick and mortar university due to your tight schedule.

Not only will you save money on the cost of gas and transportation if you enroll, but also get to attend classes and take tests at your convenient daily schedule. Most of your study materials will also be available online at the school’s website for download, so you are sure to save costs on textbooks and other stuff as well.

Recent studies from the 2018 survey “Grade Increase” reveals that online schools take up to one-third of the total number of students enrolled in a tertiary institution. In a nutshell, this means that online tertiary institutions have gradually begun to gain equal status with their brick and mortar counterparts.

The Top 3 Online Universities

1. Penn State World Campus

Penn State World Campus, part of Pennsylvania State University, has been offering students consistent online education since 1998. The online Campus offers over 150 degree and certificate programs to all registered students on its website.

Course

• Accounting
• Supply Chain Management
• Biobehavioral Health
• Additive Manufacturing and Design
• Management Consulting
• Law and Society
• Criminal justice
• Adult Basic Education
• Cyber Threat Analytics and Prevention
• Data Analytics

To see all 201 courses offered, please visit the University’s website to enquire.

Eligibility

Please note that application requirements vary by program. Please use the tool available on the school’s official website to learn more about them

2. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has been a pioneer in offering online programs to students in the STEM fields since 1993. Their courses include:

Courses

• Aeronautical Engineering
• Business Analytics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Biology, Life Science
• Co-Operative Education & Internship
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Cybersecurity
• Economics

 

To know more about their undergraduate and postgraduate courses, please visit the University’s official website to enquire.

Eligibility

Visit the University’s campus catalog to review the requirements for admission into their undergraduate, graduate and international students programme.

3. Arizona State University –ASU Online

ASU Online is one of the top providers of online education in the world. The University offers over 150+ undergraduate and Postgraduate programs to over 25,000+ students on its website.

Courses

• Art & Design Business
• Communication
• Criminal justice & law
• Engineering
• Natural science
• Technology
• Liberal studies
• Language
• Geographical science and urban planning

To know more about the undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered at ASU Online, please visit the University’s website to enquire.

Eligibility

ASU Online offers a wide range of academic programs with their requirements for admission. Please refer to the University’s website to know more about the requirements.

Top Free online universities that you should consider applying to

1. EdX

Initially founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Havard University, EdX is the world’s largest free online course provider with over 14 million users having access to the courses without paying.

Note: Although their classes are free, you’ll have to pay to acquire a formal degree or certificate from them.

2. Stanford Online

Stanford Online is the official website owned by Stanford University through which the University offers most of its courses online for free. Most of these online courses are provided by other universities, including Stanford school of business and Stanford school of medicine.

Note: you’ll have to pay a tuition fee if you aim to complete a degree program on the platform.

3. Harvard Online

Just like Stanford Online, Havard online is an online learning platform owned by Havard university with over a dozen free courses to choose from. Some of these free courses include religious studies, data science, game development, and app development.

Note: Most of the sessions at Havard aren’t free.

4. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a learning institution established to provide free education for students around the world in hopes of changing the educational system. They currently have a library of over 4,500 videos on every course imaginable including physics, arithmetic, business, finance, history, and many more.

Top 3 Online Universities offering Scholarships

1. Edinburgh Global Distance Learning Scholarships

The University of Edinburgh offers 11 scholarships to foreign citizens of developing countries to pursue a Master’s degree in one of the 30+ distance learning programmes offered in the University’s learning platform.

Note: Each scholarship will cover the tuition fees for the Master’s programme for three years or more.

2. University of the People Tuition-Free Degrees

University of the People is an accredited online university that offers a tuition-free academic program on its learning platform. Their courses include business administration, computer science, and a few others which are taught by reputable universities such as NYU, Harvard, Oxford, and more.

Note: some of the degree programs might include internships/mentorships with some of its partners such as HP and Microsoft.

3. Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships

The Commonwealth Distance Learning program awards Scholarships to eligible candidates from developing commonwealth countries to enroll in a Master’s programme in one of the 30+ online courses that are offered by partnering online universities in developing countries or the UK.

In case you plan to sign up for any online learning institution, please conduct proper research before you commit your money or details to avoid regrets, monetary or identity theft.