Best Online Colleges in Arkansas for 2024

Online Higher Education in Arkansas

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Online education includes a huge segment of students who attend Arkansas colleges and universities. These schools have 46,552 students enrolled in online-only (distance learning) courses. The same colleges have 62,800+ students who are enrolled in some online courses or degree programs; these students may be enrolled in a hybrid learning format, in which they take some courses online and others on-campus.

The total student enrollment in the state is nearly 151,600 students, many of which attend online-only or hybrid classes. Breaking this down further, undergraduate schools enrolled around 93,800 students in online courses; the number of students taking at least one graduate course online was 15,600+.

The cost of attendance for Arkansas students and out-of-state students is another important factor for those considering attending college in the state. Undergraduate students attending school in-state paid around $5,000 on average for tuition and fees, $1,332 for books and supplies, and $12,174 for room and board. This made their total cost of attendance around $18,500. Out-of-state students paid closer to $8,300 in tuition and fees, while their other costs for attendance were the same, giving them a total cost of around $21,800.

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For many schools, there is no difference between the cost for an online vs. an on-campus degree. The main difference between these options is the extra cost of boarding, food, gas, etc. This is another reason why so many students these days are considering earning their degree online.

Our School Rankings Methodology

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The methodology used to arrive at school rankings should be accurate, unbiased, and up to date. Students and their families rely on these numbers to help them find the best education available at a reasonable price. However, determining the value of student experiences is not always objective. Beyond the rankings and percentages, students accumulate memories, experiences, and impressions, which may be much more subjective. This is why it’s important for students to have plenty of objective information before they develop an opinion about the more subjective offerings from their school options.

Graduating salaries, one of the many data points we use in our rankings, may help students to choose a degree program that aligns with their skills and interests while also offering them the ability to do well in their life after college. Knowing how much financial aid or placement assistance can help a prospective student get a feel for how much help they can expect from the school throughout their college academic career.

In ranking online universities and colleges in Arkansas, our researchers used data from a variety of reliable sources. This includes sources provided by the school itself, government sources, and those from other respected organizations. By gathering objective information, we allow students to really know what they’re choosing between when one school seems to have a great, tight-knit community and another offers a big-city night life.

Ranking factors we use include:

Find Online Arkansas Schools

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College enrollment continues to rise. Perhaps this is due to prospective college students learning about the difference in income between those who have a college degree and those who do not. Even with an online degree, which once might have been considered less worthwhile than traditional degrees, annual salaries for those who hold a higher education degree are $24,000 higher than non-college graduates, on average. Students earning graduate degrees increase their annual earnings even more.

And students can expect to earn just as much with a degree they earned online as they do with a degree earned in a traditional classroom setting. In fact, there is no significant difference between these options anymore.