Online Colleges: Hidden Gems of Affordability Lure Consumers to Online Education
Essex Junction, VT (PRWeb) July 30, 2008 -- Want to save $10,000 on a bachelors degree? How about paying $12,000 less than the national average for an accredited MBA (Masters Business Administration)?
Savings this large are possible, according to GetEducated.com, a national consumer advocacy group that researches, rates, ranks and verifies the credibility of online college degree (http://www.geteducated.com/about/mission.asp) programs.
The key: park your car and head back to college online this fall.
"A college degree is the second most expensive purchase a consumer will make in his or her lifetime -- second only to the purchase of a home," reveals GetEducated.com's Founder, Vicky Phillips, "doesn't it make sense that consumers should comparison search for online education bargains online?"
The really good news?
Consumers who compare online colleges can realize savings amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
That's right. Tens of thousands.
Moreover, because the majority of brick-and-mortar colleges now offer at least some of their degrees online consumers can save thousands while earning their bachelor and masters degrees online at universities whose names are both recognizable and respected.
"Ten years ago if you wanted to earn a distance learning degree degree you had few choices," remarks Phillips, "but today both name-brand state universities and the elite Ivy League offer online degrees."
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Babson College are just a few of the name brand colleges profiled by the online education experts at GetEducated.com.
To help consumers locate hidden gems of affordability among online universities and distance learning colleges GetEducated.com has published consumer tips.
"Three Golden Rules for Consumers Going Back to College Online"
Rule 1: Look for brand name public universities ...
California State University, Kansas State University, Indiana State University, The State University of New York, The University of Nebraska, Dakota State University, are just a few of the traditional state colleges that offer low cost, high-quality online masters and online bachelors to a national audience via the Internet.
How much can you save by attending a state college online?
Bucket loads.
Online MBA Average Cost: $20,000
Cost of an Online MBA - California State University - Dominguez Hills: $12,000
Total Savings: $8,000
Online Computer Science Masters (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_computer.asp) Average Cost: $23,000
Cost of an Online Masters - Columbus State University (GA): $8,000
Total Savings: $15,000
Rule 2: Never trust a search engine to find an online college ...
Search engines are the world's worst way to locate online colleges. Degree mills (http://www.geteducated.com/articles/degreemills.asp) -- fake online colleges -- advertise heavily on search engines. All it takes to appear at the top of a Google search is a valid Visa or Mastercard.
In addition, few-profit colleges have invested heavily -- as in tens of millions -- in search engine optimization and online advertising, effectively positioning themselves at the top of all searches as well as at the top of thousands of "online education portals."
The goal of for-profit colleges: buy their way into consumer consciousness.
Here's what you'll not find if you rely on a search engine: hundreds of inexpensive state universities, many of which spend as little as a thousand dollars a year on online advertising.
You'll have to dig to find the true distance learning college bargains.
Start your digging at GetEducated.com. As a consumer agency, GetEducated.com gives free profiles to all accredited colleges, leveling the playing field for state colleges and universities.
At GetEducated.com, all colleges get equal exposure.
You'll find hundreds of state college and universities offering distance learning degrees at GetEducated.com.
Rule 3: Consult GetEducated.com's Top Ranked Best Buys to Online Degrees ...
Based on GetEducated.com's national surveys of online education at accredited online colleges, here's how much a consumer can actually save by comparison shopping for an online college degree.
Top Ranked Best Buys Online MBAs (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_mbareg.asp)
Online MBA (Regionally Accredited)
Low Cost: $7,000
High Cost: $45,000
Average Cost: $20,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online MBAs - AACSB Accredited (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_mbaaacsb.asp)
Online MBA (AACSB Accredited)
Low Cost: $8,000
High Cost: $107,000
Average Cost: $32,000
Top Ranked Masters Degrees Healthcare & Nursing (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_health.asp)
Online Masters Healthcare & Nursing
Low Cost: $8,000
High Cost: $50,000
Average Cost: $21,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Human Resource Online Masters (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_hr.asp)
Online Masters Human Resources
Low Cost: $9,000
High Cost: $41,000
Average Cost: $18,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online Masters Computers & Information Systems (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_computer.asp)
Online Masters Computer Science & Information Systems
Low: $5,000
High: $65,000
Average Cost: $24,000
Top Ranked Best Buys Online Masters Engineering (http://www.geteducated.com/rankings/best_engineer.asp)
Online Masters Engineering
Low Cost: $7,000
High Cost: $86,00
Average Cost: $23,000
"Take the time to GetEducated about online college costs," urges Phillips, the online education consumer advocate. Consult GetEducated.com's Best Buy Rankings for Online Degrees before you enroll. GetEducated now to avoid getting ripped off at the college bursar's office later this fall."
About: GetEducated.com is a consumer advocacy and watchdog group that rates, ranks, and verifies the cost, quality and credibility of online colleges and online universities. Our Mission: Educate ~ Advocate ~ Protect. Founded in 1989, by Vicky Phillips, a psychologist and educator, GetEducated.com developed America's first online counseling center for adult distance learners. Today, GetEducated.com remains the only consumer advocacy group in the USA dedicated exclusively to assisting online students in analyzing, comparing, rating, and ranking online colleges and universities. GetEducated.com also serves to protect distance learners from the dark world of online education fraud through innovative free services, such as The Diploma Mill Police (SM), a database that chronicles consumer alerts on more than 300 fake online colleges and university scams.
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