Comparing the Cost of Campus and Online Degrees
As online study becomes more popular, the misconceptions about the cost of earning an online degree are also growing. Some people believe online degrees are cheaper, while others think that it's more expensive to earn a degree online. Still others argue that there is no real difference in costs between earning a degree in a classroom or online. In a sense, they are all correct, because there are many different online schools with a wide range of prices for their degrees, just as there are a lot of different traditional universities with huge differences in cost between them.
Comparing online and on-campus costs
Many accredited online degree programs cost about the same as their traditional classroom-based counterparts. If you choose an online program, you may save on some practical expenses such as transportation or gas to get to and from campus, parking, room and board, or other campus-specific fees. However, your online program may have other costs that don't apply to classroom-based study, such as the cost of a computer, software, Internet service, and school fees for technology services. Your online program may also require textbooks, even if your coursework is completed via computer.
When it comes to tuition, there is as much variety in the cost of online schools as there is in the cost of campus colleges. Just as the tuition for a school with several campuses may vary from campus to campus, tuition for the same online class may vary from campus to campus or state to state. Some online degree programs may add a fee for technology services to their basic tuition, and some schools charge more for their online classes than they do for their classroom-based classes due to the unique costs of developing course material specifically for online delivery.
- Tuition for the most popular online program offered by surveyed degree-granting schools ranged from $150 to $900 per credit hour.
—Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), 2007 Distance Education Survey
Cheap online degrees are too good to be true
Have you ever heard the saying, "You get what you pay for"? Online degrees that cost the least are those offered by unaccredited schools. These institutions are often called "diploma mills" because they churn out hundreds of fake diplomas and sell them to anyone who's willing to pay their price.
One example is a "university" advertising on the Internet that charges $1,995 for an associate's or bachelor's degree, $2,095 for a master's degree, and $2,295 for a doctorate degree. The school gave a Mississippi address because that's where they relocated after being closed down by Louisiana authorities for running a diploma mill.
If you purchase a degree from a school that is not accredited, you risk wasting your hard earned-money on a junk piece of paper.
Legitimate online degree programs: how to identify them
How can you make sure an online school is not a diploma mill? Look for accreditation from an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department maintains a list of recognized accreditation agencies that you can consult when you are looking at online schools and degree programs. The bottom line is: avoid unaccredited institutions. If a school's cost and the process for earning your diploma seem too good to be true — they probably are.
Cost of online degree programs vs. campus degree programs: there is no one rule
The costs of earning a college degree vary widely from school to school and from program to program. For both campus and online programs, it is imperative to apply only to legitimately accredited schools, whose benefits include federally recognized credentials and credit transferability to other accredited schools. Evaluate the total cost — tuition, fees, and practical expenses — of each accredited school and program you are considering to help you decide which route is more economical: online or classroom-based.
Comparing Online & Campus Degrees
Find an online degree program that works for you
Carlos Soto is a Content Editor at CourseAdvisor.