Online Education

Online Education

There are many advantages to online education. It costs less in both money and time because the student does not have to prepare the vehicle, travel to the college, find a parking spot and walk usually quite a ways to class. Then return home sometimes having to put up with traffic congestion and bad weather. Both time and money are saved using online classes. The old argument that a student have other classmates to discuss things with is no longer valid as online classes allow group discussions and contact with other students most of the time.

Draw backs to online are some classes are shorter requiring more work in less time. Distractions at home such as children/family. A minor drawback may be that one is missing the at college experience. However occasionally taking an onground class or visiting the college may remedy this. An old objection is that employers put more weight to onground classes. But now days they tend to look only at the degree or certificate rather than whether it was done online or in the classroom.

Lastly there are fewer online classes than onground classes offered. But one can usually find online classes needed for most certificates and degrees. The exception are with hands on learning such as working with specialized equipment. This can be partly offset by taking all required classes except those few requiring in lab or shop activities. Some of this is covered by so called hybird classes which have both online and in classroom training.

Does online tuition cost more. In general no. The tuition rate is usually the same. And sometimes the student can shop around and get a needed class at a cheaper price and save even more on travel expenses and time.

It should be noted that there is now more online learning available than in classroom learning and the number of subjects is far greater. This includes specialty learning mini classes such as how to replace the battery in your GPS. Many of these are free.

The Open Education Database lists 10,000 free online classes at

Yes that is 10,000. Plus there is the Kahn academy and other learning sources such as Wikiversity, Wikipedia and YouTube which offer millions of mini videos all FREE.

However IF YOU WANT CREDIT YOU HAVE TO PAY.

Most of the students and parents who read my website live in Macomb County Area which is in South East Michigan. The absolute best bargain for cost with quality is at your local community colleges such as Macomb Community College. They charge $97 per credit hour plus a $50 registration fee.

They cost ¼ or less than most State and private colleges.

Compare per credit tuitionbelow.

Fitchburg State University Mass. $133 Per Credit lowest priced of State Colleges.

Oakland Community College $154

Fort Hays State University $207 Per Credit

New England Institute of Technology $230 Per Credit

Baker College $230

Eastern M U $296

Western Mi U $349

Wayne State University $378

Ferris $397

Central Michigan U $405

Oakland U $414

Walch College of Account and Business $419

Mi SU $478

ITT $493

Arizona State University $500 Per Credit

U of Mi $570

DeVry U of Michigan $609

Davenport $633

Rochester College $649

Marygrove $683

Northwood U Mi $883

Hillsdale College $950

U of Detroit $984

Lawrence Tech U $986

U of Phoenix Michigan estimated $500

Above Michigan colleges based on data from

There are 93 colleges and universities in Michigan44 do online classes.

How many colleges offer college credit for online learning? There are over 400 which are certified and may more which have questionable certificates. If you want a job it is best to make sure they are certified. The following website is very informative. It rates Online Colleges by Affordability, Flexibility and Academics. The 25 Best Online Colleges For 2016-2017

Here is what they say online “This year, we surveyed over 400 institutions providing at least one bachelor’s degree fully online. Because institutions only providing a limited range of online degrees aren’t what most students want when it comes to attending an online college, we then narrowed the field by looking at the 80+ institutions that provide ten or more degrees fully online.

Best Online Colleges Methodology

Affordability: the average cost of attendance for one semester taking 15 credit hours
Flexibility: the number of bachelor’s degree-granting programs that may be obtained fully online, coupled with the flexibility with which students may obtain a degree
Academic Rigor and Support: the strength and reputation of the online program’s parent institution as well as the range of support services for online college students.

They got their Data from the Distance Education Council, Peterson’s, and the National Center for Education Statistics was used in compiling this list.

The cheapest they rate is: Northern Arizona University offers a full 45 bachelor’s level degrees that can be completed entirely online. Ranging from hotel & restaurant management, to liberal arts, to computer information technology, most degrees offered are skill-centered and geared towards your future career. Northern Arizona University is also one of the most affordable schools of those surveyed, with highly competitive costs for online degrees and NAU’s competency-based programs that are available for an estimated cost of only $2500 per semester. The competency-based is a flat rate subscription, allowing students to take an unlimited number of courses online for a six month period. There are no lab or course fees, and all materials required by the courses are available online.

Grand Canyon University has the largest range of bachelor’s degree level offerings of the schools we surveyed, with a total of 52 programs available entirely online. Programs at Grand Canyon are built for busy or working adults, and students take one accelerated class at a time, so that their attention isn’t spread thin through multiple courses. While most online colleges use the same professors they use on campus to teach online classes, Grand Canyon University also has a team of full-time online-only professors and instructors. Currently tuition per semester is $6,975, making the program the 23rd most affordable of those surveyed.

University of Maryland at University College offers 31 bachelor’s degree level programs fully online, for more than 95 online programs of any level. A number of online-specific support services are provided with the program including 24-hour technical support, online writing feedback, an online library, academic and career advising, and job search assistance. The main departments from which UMUC online degrees are offered include business & management, cyber security, education & teaching, healthcare & science, information technology & computer science, liberal arts & communications, and public safety. The estimated per-semester tuition for online programs is $5,737, making the program the 11th most affordable surveyed.

Liberty University bills itself out as the largest Christian University in the world, and currently offer 26 fully-online bachelor’s degree programs, and over 200 programs of every level. Unique program offerings include degrees in aeronautics, biblical educational studies, Christian ministries, and evangelism. The current estimated per semester tuition rate for Liberty University is $5,625, making the program the 15th most affordable of those surveyed. raining Champions for Christ since 1971

Pioneering distance education since 1985, Liberty University is now the nation's fifth largest university. With more than 550 online and residential areas of study, Liberty offers programs from the certificate to doctoral level. Because Liberty's online format provides the same quality course offerings as Liberty's on-campus program in Lynchburg, Va.,

University of Phoenix is a national university that currently offers 20 bachelor’s degree level programs fully online. Program offerings are comprehensive, and are available in the departments of arts & sciences, business & management, criminal justice & security, education, human services, nursing & healthcare, psychology, and technology. In a career-centered move, University of Phoenix is working with STEM industry organizations to develop a portfolio of degree and certificate programs that meet employer STEM talent needs. The current estimated per-semester tuition for University of Phoenix online is $6,000, making the program the 18th most affordable of those surveyed.

Arizona State University offers 47 bachelor’s degree programs fully online, and a full 80+ programs when specializations and non-bachelor’s level programs are included. Degree offerings are comprehensive, ranging from art, business, communications, culture, education, engineering, health, language, to STEM. 6 start dates are available per year, allowing students to start on their degree when it works best for them. Arizona State University is a national research university that offers affordable tuition online, with an estimated per-semester tuition cost of $7672.

The University of Central Florida is a national research university that offers 20 bachelor’s level programs fully online. Online program offerings are comprehensive at the University of Central Florida, with a greater availability of humanities and social science majors than many other online colleges. Per-semester tuition is affordable as well, coming in at $3,270, the fourth ranked rate of programs surveyed.

Fort Hays State University Online offers a full 24 bachelor’s level programs, including a number of business education courses, education specializations, management concentrations, and social sciences and humanities majors. The 2+2 program, in which established learning paths from other institutions are transferable to Fort Hays (where a student may finish their degree) are available from universities in many states. The estimated per-semester tuition is $3,247, making the program the third most affordable of those surveyed.

Columbia College of Missouri currently offers 24 bachelor’s degree level programs fully online. Offerings are comprehensive, and include programs in business administration (with many specializations), computer information systems, management information systems, criminal justice administration, human services, general studies, American studies, history, political science, public administration, English, nursing, psychology, and sociology. Current estimated per semester tuition at Columbia College is $3,900, making the program the 5th most affordable of those surveyed.

The 2016 Directory of Online Colleges and Universities in Michigan states:

“There is a wide breadth of options for students seeking online colleges and universities in Michigan at the private, public, and community college level. Michigan has more than 159 post-secondary institutions, of which 44 offer online programs. A total of 11 are public four-year colleges or universities and seven are public community or technical colleges and 25 are private colleges, universities, or career and vocational schools. These schools offer 946 online certificate programs, 5,973 online associates programs, 7,275 online bachelor's programs, 2,957 online masters programs, 3,666 online professional programs, and 709 online doctoral programs. In these programs, students may study subjects ranging from health information to real estate to public health.”

“Of the online colleges in Michigan, the one with the greatest number of programs online is Davenport University, which is a 4-year research university. The school offers 89 online programs.”

“Tuition for online college courses varies depending on factors such as the type and location of the institution as well as the program. On average, publicfour-year colleges and universities in Michigan charge students approximately $8,833 per year. On average, tuition at public community and technical colleges was $3,747per year. Private accredited online college tuition ranged from $7,380 to $30,660 per year.”

“To offset tuition costs, Michigan college students received an estimated $38,018,486,878 worth of financial aid each year. While some of this aid was in the form of loans that had to be paid back, nearly 35 percent of this aid was in the form of scholarships and grants. Additionally, an estimated 89.12% of the scholarships and grants consisted of institutional grants. “

Visit my List of scholarships to see 5,000 scholarships mostly available to Michigan students.