AMERICUS — Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) has been ranked sixth among the nation’s most affordable online colleges in 2016 according to a new report by rankings.com. GSW received the Editor’s Award for Best Tuition.
From over 3,000 colleges and universities across the nation that offer full online undergraduate programs, GSW made the list of only 20 universities that exemplify the best in affordability and quality. GSW was the only school in Georgia to make the list.
“Focused attention from faculty and flexible class scheduling are hallmarks for online programs at Georgia Southwestern,” said GSW Interim President Charles Patterson, Ph.D. “Combine this with the affordability of a state-supported institution, and it’s no surprise that Georgia Southwestern’s online program is ranked sixth nationally for its value.”
The university currently offers online bachelor’s programs in criminal justice, business administration, information technology, and an RN to BSN program.
The rankings.com research team lead by Donna Gardner Liljegren, dean of online enrollment and continuing education at AU Online (Aurora University), scoured every accredited institution offering fully online programs awarding bachelor’s degrees, as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
From there, they narrowed the list to schools that had at least 1,000 students enrolled with 10 percent enrolled online exclusively, 30 percent of the school’s students taking some courses online and schools with at least two fully online bachelor’s programs. Schools were then ranked on the metrics of tuition, online student body, number of online programs, academics and selectivity. GSW tied for sixth with University of Illinois at Springfield.
In 2015, GSW was ranked 23rd out of the 100 Most Affordable Small Colleges East of the Mississippi by Great Value Colleges and 40th out of the 100 Most Affordable Small Colleges in the U.S. by bestvalueschools.com.
For a complete list of the Most Affordable Online Colleges of 2016, visit here:  http://www.rankings.com/affordable-online-colleges/.