Enrolling in an can often be a more affordable and flexible alternative to an in-person degree, especially for students juggling a job or family responsibilities.
While online learning increased in popularity at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions — like some ranked in the 2026 U.S. ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ — were ahead of the curve, having offered online degree options for years.
For the 2026 Best Online Programs rankings released today, U.S. ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ assessed nearly 1,850 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and ranked the majority.
These rankings don’t use standardized tests or first-year, full-time graduation rates, instead relying on other factors such as faculty credentials and training, services and technology available to students, student engagement, and expert opinions on the academic quality of programs.
Master’s degree programs, in addition to these criteria, are also ranked based on assessment of student excellence via undergraduate GPAs, acceptance rates and work experience.
Blended learning programs — a combination of face-to-face and distance education — are not included in the rankings. To be eligible, a program must be predominantly online, without recurrent in-person attendance requirements for routine instruction.
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Graduate programs are categorized based on the following areas of study: , , , , and . Online are ranked separately from other master’s business degrees. U.S. ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ also ranks the .
Below are some of the top online degree programs in the 2026 rankings. Learn more about the rankings’ methodologies .
Best Online Bachelor’s Programs
The and the switched places, now at No. 1 and No. 2 for bachelor’s programs, respectively. The took the No. 3 spot again, this time without tying another school.
Nine schools made the top-10 list — which includes ties — for at least the second year in a row. The is the only the newcomer to the top 10 this year, up from a 12-way tie at No. 39. dropped out of the top 10 — from a tie at No. 10 to a three-way tie at No. 17 — as did , which fell 46 spots to a seven-way tie at No. 56.
There were large jumps in the rankings outside of the top 10, such as for , which moved up from a nine-way tie at No. 201 to a six-way tie at No. 63.
Some colleges have strength in a specific major. For example, the University of Florida was rated as the No. 1 school for the . and in New York tied at No. 2.
There is also a ranking for . and tied for the top spot, followed by the and the University of Florida tied at No. 3.
Best Online Programs for Veterans
To qualify, schools must satisfy multiple criteria, such as: appear in the top half of the Best Online Programs rankings; be certified for the GI Bill; and either be participants or public institutions that charge in-state tuition that can be fully paid through the GI Bill for out-of-state applicants.
Additionally, a minimum of 25 veterans and active service members must be enrolled for a bachelor’s program to qualify for the rankings, with 10 needed for a master’s program.
The top five online bachelor’s programs for veterans changed slightly from last year. The University of Florida is again at No. 1, while the went from unranked to No. 2. ASU, and the now rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Best Online MBA Programs
Indiana University Bloomington’s took the top spot again among online MBA programs. Carnegie Mellon University’s in Pennsylvania and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s switched places, now at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
There were two new entrants into the top 10 this year — Oklahoma State University’s and the University of Texas at Dallas’ — both rose one spot to tie at No. 10 alongside the University of Michigan’s .
For veterans, IU topped the list at No. 1, while the University of Washington’s took the No. 2 spot.
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For specialties, Carnegie Mellon ranked the highest for business analytics and finance, and UNC ranked No. 1 for general management. IU, Michigan and UNC all tied for the top spot for marketing.
Best Online Master’s in Business Programs
In addition to MBA programs, U.S. ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ also ranks the Best Online Master’s in Business Programs, which include degrees in accounting, finance, insurance, marketing and management.
Carnegie Mellon claimed the No. 1 spot — without a tie this year. The University of Southern California’s moved up two spots to No. 2, while Texas A&M University’s moved down from a tie at No. 1 to No. 3.
Some non-MBA online graduate business programs climbed significant spots in the rankings. George Mason University’s in Virginia, for example, jumped from a five-way tie at No. 56 to a shared No. 37. Breaking into the top 100, the University of San Diego’s moved up from a three-way tie at No. 119 to a six-way tie at No. 53.
Best Online Master’s in Education Programs
Clemson University’s in South Carolina once again took the No. 1 rank for online graduate education programs, while the tied with the — up from No. 38 — at No. 2.
The took the No. 4 spot, while there’s a three-way tie at No. 5: in New Jersey, in California and the .
As for specialties, ASU’s and ranked No. 1 in educational/instructional media design; took the top spot for educational administration and supervision; the University of Kansas topped the list for special education and veterans; and the University of Florida took the top spot for curriculum and instruction.
Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs
Previously ranked No. 1 among online nursing master’s programs for five consecutive years, the dropped by one to tie with in North Carolina at No. 2. moved up from a tie at No. 3 to claim the top spot.
In addition to being in the top three, Duke swept first place in all four specialty areas: nursing administration/leadership, nursing education, family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs
The University of California, Los Angeles’ — which has ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in every ranking since 2014 — claimed the top spot again in the rankings of online master’s in engineering programs. in Indiana is No. 2 again, this time untied.
Purdue also was No. 1 for civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, management and mechanical engineering.
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Best Online Master’s in Information Technology Programs
in New York and Johns Hopkins’ switched places and now rank at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among online graduate information technology programs. Texas A&M University, which was previously unranked in this category, was the only new entrant to the top 10 this year — tied at No. 3 with in Texas.
Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs
The in Connecticut and the remained in their top two spots, respectively, while the ranked at No. 3 again — but is now tied with , which rose from No. 6.
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Update 01/27/26: The data above reflects information U.S. ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ received as of December 2025.
