We ranked the best private non-profit online schools with Department of Education approved accreditation.
Online degree programs are often more affordable because students can cut costs in areas like housing, transportation, and campus amenities. If you’re searching for the cheapest online college with private funding and a tradition of academic excellence, you’ll want to start with a look at these affordable online degree programs. Each of these cheap accredited online colleges specializes in both quality and affordability.
If you think you’d like to maximize your savings, you can jump to our list of the most affordable online degrees in any category. Otherwise, read on for a look to find the most affordable online university with private funding...
Online bachelor’s degrees are online degree programs for undergraduate students. Most online students can complete their bachdelor’s degree programs in a minimum of four years. Both online and traditional students will typically be required to earn 120 credits toward the completion of their undergraduate bachelor’s degree programs. In most cases, you would pay the same (or slightly more) per credit hour as on campus students.
Most students who earn a high school diploma or complete a high school education equivalency test will qualify for undergraduate learning opportunities. In most cases, private non-profit colleges and universities that provide distance education will maintain the same eligibility requirements for both students in online programs and brick and mortar schools.
The primary difference between public and private non-profit schools is the way that they are funded. Public or state schools are funded in part by tax dollars, whereas private non-profit schools are funded entirely by tuition revenue and private endowments.
This often means that public college students will pay lower tuition rates than students in private universities. This is especially true for students earning their degree through a state university in their home state. Public accredited online colleges generally offer a high quality education with generous in-state tuition rates. This means that students looking to save money on private degree programs are often focused on finding cheap online colleges that meet their requirements.
Many affordable private colleges and universities are religious institutions. In addition, some of the the most affordable online colleges among private schools are those that find ways to reduce costs around student amenities, campus fees, and other college lifestyle perks. As an online student, your focus will be specifically on completing your degree program, as opposed to indulging in the various activities and diversions enjoyed by on campus students.
Accredited online schools are colleges and universities that award degrees primarily through online classes and are recognized by a Department of Education approved accreditor. Higher education accreditation is a process by which an accrediting association provides recognition to colleges and universities that meet a set of standards for quality, curriculum, faculty, and more.
Only students who attend colleges and universities with accreditation from Department of Education recognized accreditors will be eligible for financial aid.
There are two main types of institutional accreditation—regional accreditation and national accreditation. Regional accreditation is generally considered the more rigorous standard. This is particularly important for students who plan to transfer credits into a regionally accredited program or an advanced degree program. In either case, only credits from regionally accredited online colleges will be recognized.
If you plan to transfer or pursue an advanced degree, be sure that the undergraduate degree from your online school is accredited by a schools commission on colleges and schools in your region. For instance, if you’re searching for the best online degree programs in the state of Georgia or Florida, be sure that your online degree is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Programmatic accreditation is another type of accreditation, usually given to degrees rather than institutions. Programmatic accreditation is more important when it comes to specific degree program types, especially for online graduate students. For instance, if you’re considering a master’s degree in business administration, you may want to search for those with accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Online degree programs are respected by employers as long as they are from accredited schools. An accredited online degree can offer a strong point of entry into a broad spectrum of potential careers in areas like business, education, criminal justice, and health sciences. Distance learning is likewise an excellent option for students with an interest in teacher education, legal education, and much more.
And because an ever-growing number of reputable and regionally accredited institutions are offering online courses and bachelor’s degree programs, a wide range of employers are coming to view online degrees with the same level of respect given traditional degrees. In fact, as long as you earn your online degree from an accredited institution, most employers will not distinguish between online and traditional students.
Online students enjoy several advantages over traditional on campus students including lower student expenses, greater scheduling flexibility, and access to the college education in your state regardless of your geographic location. An online degree program gives distance learners access to most of the same undergraduate and graduate programs as traditional students.
This means online learners typically have the option of completing academic programs in popular subjects such as business administration, criminal justice, mental health counseling, computer science, early childhood education, human resource management, health education, organizational management, and much more. And with an online program, you will generally have the ability to earn your credits on your own time.
This means that working adult learners can generally enjoy access to the same academic programs, student support services, and professors as their on-campus counterparts. Prospective students interested in either undergraduate degrees or graduate degree programs may have the option to pursue self-pacing options and other asynchronous learning strategies that make it possible to balance work, life, and either online bachelor’s programs or online master’s degrees. This also makes online learning a great option if you’re pursuing career and technical education, or certificate programs.
Another important advantage is the savings in cost. While you may pay a little more per credit hour online, most affordable online programs will lower your expenses in areas like housing, transportation, and for certain campus fees. In most cases, the affordable online college will help you earn a college degree with minimal student loan debt.
The purpose of this ranking is to demonstrate affordability among online private, non-profit colleges and schools with accreditation from a Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency. Therefore, we filtered our findings to include only those private colleges and universities which are non-profit in structure. For-profit private colleges and universities have been excluded from our findings.
By filtering out both public and private for-profit options, we have produced a list that contains a large number of religious institutions.
After filtering to assure proper accreditation, we ranked these accredited private programs based on tuition rates and predominance of online degree offerings. The institutions ranked below are all private, non-profit options with an extensive range of online classes and tuition below $10,000 per year.
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
39%
Student body
102K
Southern New Hampshire University is a private university located near Manchester, New Hampshire. SNHU is unique for its predominant emphasis on distance learning. While the main campus is home to 3000 students, another 135,000 SNHU students are currently earning online degrees.
Southern New Hampshire University is one of the fastest growing universities in the U.S.
Adult learners as well as those pursuing professional certifications..
Students seeking a traditional on-campus experience.
Tuition + fees
$4K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
50%
Student body
46K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/23
Brigham Young University is a highly regarded private university affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). BYU-Idaho is a sister campus to the flagship BYU campus located in Provo, Utah.
Brigham Young University-Idaho actually began as a junior college called Ricks College in 1888 before joining the Brigham Young University system and granting its first baccalaureate degrees in 2001.
Are seeking an undergraduate degree in areas such as sciences, engineering, and agriculture.
Are not affiliated with the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS). BYU students are expected to adhere to a behavioral code that aligns with LDS beliefs.
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
23%
Student body
9K
Bellevue University is a private institution based in Bellevue, Nebraska. Founded in 1966 as Bellevue College, the university’s broader mission has long been to serve the specific needs of adult learners. As a result, more than 80% of the student population is over the age of 25 .
Bellevue University’s focus on adult learning also encouraged the introduction of various flexible degree programs including accelerated bachelor’s degree programs and online master’s degree programs.
Are above traditional college age.
Recent high-school graduates looking for the typical campus lifestyle.
Tuition + fees
$6K
Student body
<1K
City Vision University is the accredited online college affiliated with Christian non-profit group TechMission. City Vision is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri but has focused predominantly on distance learning since its 1998 founding.
City Vision University’s primary focus is on addiction counseling and Christian Ministry.
Are interested in pursuing faith-based counseling professions.
Students who are seeking a secular education in addiction or mental health counseling.
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
15%
Student body
<1K
Bethesda University is a private Christian College based in Anaheim, California. Founded in 1976, Bethesda offers a Christ-centered undergraduate education.
Bethesda University is a member of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools and holds programmatic accreditation from the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
Are seeking a small, intimate college experience..
Desire a secular undergraduate education.
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
40%
Student body
<1K
College of Biblical Studies is a private evangelical biblical college based out of Houston, Texas. Founded as a vocational institute in 1976, today the College of Biblical Studies serves a mix of online and on-campus students in subjects like Biblical Counseling, Christian Leadership, and Women’s Ministry.
College of Biblical Studies is accredited both by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Association of Biblical Higher Education.
Enjoy a diverse student body.
Are seeking a secular learning experience.
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
19%
Student body
8K
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a private university that places an emphasis on aviation and aerospace education. In fact, Embry-Riddle is the single largest accredited university system in the aviation and aerospace discipline.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University began as a small Cincinnati-based regional school for pilots and mechanics in 1926. Today, it serves more than 33,000 students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels through campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, Prescott, Arizona, and online.
Want to take short, fast-paced courses in aviation operations, management, and supervision.
Students seeking a liberal arts education.
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
100%
Student body
<1K
BMATS is a Baptist seminary located in Jacksonville, Texas. Formed in 1955, BMATS serves a small population of both undergraduate and graduate students.
BMATS places an emphasis on degrees in ministry, and awards the Associate of Divinity, Bachelor of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Church Ministries, and other similar ministry and divinity credentials. BMATS is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Are seeking a small, intimate educational setting.
Students who are seeking a larger campus community.
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
62%
Student body
79K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/25
Liberty University is one of the largest Christian universities in the world as well as one of the largest private non-profit universities in the U.S. Much of this size is based on its online enrollment.
Liberty University enrolls roughly 15,000 residential students across its 17 colleges, and an additional 80,000 through its extensive online course and degree offerings.
Wish to attend the world’s largest seminary—Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity.
Students who do not identify with Evangelical Christianity.
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
52%
Student body
2K
MBTS is a Baptist seminary formed in 1957. At the time of its founding, MBTS served just over 100 students. Today, more than 3,000 students are enrolled in the seminary’s online and on-campus programs.
In fact, with the student population nearly tripling between 2012 and 2017, this Kansas City, Missouri institution is among the fastest growing seminaries in the U.S.
Are hoping to find careers in local church and community leadership.
Who don’t align with the lifestyle and values of the Baptist denomination.
Tuition + fees
$9K
Student body
<1K
Amberton University was established in 1971 and, until 1982, was actually an extension campus affiliated with Abilene Christian University. It was only when the college received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1981 that it splintered into its own institution.
Based today in Garland, Texas, Amberton University’s focus is primarily on adult learners.
Non-traditional students—those who are 21 or older and seeking a professional campus atmosphere.
Recent high-school graduates.
Tuition + fees
$8K
Student body
<1K
Catholic Distance University is a private Roman Catholic University that was formed in 1983. Though CDU is based in Charles Town, West Virginia, it provides exclusively online degree programs to its roughly 750 students.
CDU’s focus on online education makes it a pioneer in its area of education. In fact, the CDU is noted as the first Catholic institution to award fully online Master of Arts Degrees in Theology.
Are seeking a religious education at the associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree level.
Students who desire a campus community.
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
48%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
University of the Cumberlands is a private Christian University based out of Williamsburg, Kentucky. Formed by Baptist Ministers as Cumberland College in 1888, University of the Cumberlands serves roughly 17,000 students today.
University of the Cumberlands places its primary focus on postgraduate education. The vast majority of its students—more than 13,000—are enrolled in graduate degree programs.
Are seeking a faith-based advanced degree program.
Students who are seeking a secular educational experience.
Tuition + fees
$10K
Graduation
44%
Student body
<1K
Amridge University is a private university based in Montgomery, Alabama. Formed in 1967 as the Alabama Christian School of Religion, Amridge primarily awards degrees in theological seminary, Biblical studies, and Christian counseling.
Amridge University is almost evenly split between roughly 350 undergraduate students and 350 graduate students.
Seeking a faith-based education in areas like business and leadership, education and human services, or theology.
Are interested in a large campus experience.
Tuition + fees
$9K
Graduation
50%
Student body
<1K
Holy Apostles College and Seminary is a Catholic seminary based in Cromwell, Connecticut. Founded in 1956 for those with an interest in priesthood, Holy Apostles serves roughly 500 students today.
Holy Apostles College and Seminary places an emphasis on academic areas like philosophy and theology.
Are interested in a liberal arts education with a Catholic perspective.
Who do not identify as Catholic.