The team looks at the quality of the course as far as how it covers the topic, the video and audio quality, and the skill of the instructors.
Once the team rate a course, you'll be able to see the pros and cons as well as the pricing and any alternatives that they believe would be beneficial to students.
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Americans are more skeptical about college than ever, and that includes online colleges. If you’ve explored the online learning space or thought about going back to school, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Is it worth it?”
For many students, the answer is yes. Whether any particular degree makes sense to invest in, though, depends on your needs and budget. Since online universities serve adult learners who have demanding lives outside the classroom, they have to fit into the learners’ busy lives, not the other way around.
One of the more popular names in this space is Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). SNHU is widely popular due to its large student body and wide range of programs. In many ways, SNHU resembles a traditional university, just without the commute to campus.
But every university has its own benefits and trade-offs, so let’s take a look at several popular online universities and compare them to SNHU so you know what’s out there.
SNHU Alternatives At A Glance:
| Institution | Estimated Cost | Term Length | Program Options | Learning Model |
| SNHU | $42,000 per degree | 8 weeks | Over 200 programs | Traditional schedule with biweekly deadlines |
| University of Phoenix | $50,000 per degree | 5-6 weeks per course | Varied | Block schedule |
| ASU Online | Up to $69,000 per degree | 8 weeks (but ULCs are self-paced) | Over 200 programs | Self-paced and traditionally paced courses available |
| Purdue Global | $66,000 per degree | 10 weeks | Varied | Accelerated and traditional pace available |
| WGU | $3500-$4300 per term | 6 months | Varied | Competency-based learning |
| University of the People | $5600-$7300 per degree | 8 weeks | Limited | Traditional schedule with weekly deadlines |
About SNHU:
With over 200 degree programs, SNHU boasts one of the broadest program catalogs out of any popular online institution. They offer both traditional hands-on career training in fields like education, nursing, and psychology, and remote-worker-friendly programs such as programming, business administration, digital marketing, and writing.
Terms at SNHU are 8 weeks long, and there are six possible start terms. There are no live class times, so it’s friendly to a traditional work schedule, but deadlines are weekly and usually fall on Thursdays or Sundays. This can be great if you benefit from external accountability, but may require you to structure your week around their calendar to complete your coursework.
SNHU charges $354 per credit hour, which adds up to about $42,000 for the whole degree if you’re not transferring previous credits. While cheaper than some other educational options, that still works out to several months’ salary for most American workers.
Most students can find a program at SNHU that would be applicable in their field, and that would be more affordable than a traditional, on-campus degree. But many students have other priorities, such as program reputation, affordability, and flexibility, and others have extensive knowledge of their fields already and are looking for a competency-based learning model. Based on these priorities, other online degree providers could be a better fit.
Best SNHU Alternatives:
University of Phoenix
When people think about online college, University of Phoenix is probably the first name that comes to mind. Phoenix’s popularity stems both from its aggressive marketing and from the fact that it offers programs in a variety of in-demand career fields, including business administration, health and medical services, criminal justice, human resources, and computing. But there are a few factors worth thinking about before enrolling.
Phoenix charges a consistent $398 per credit hour for undergraduate courses, or $1,364 per course. Without transfer credit, that puts your cost at almost $50,000. Phoenix is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), but it’s worth noting that it is also the only for-profit school on our list, which means that it doesn’t invest all of its revenue back into student support.
University of Phoenix students typically take one class at a time, with each class lasting 5-6 weeks. If you benefit from focusing on a single subject at a time and can invest 15-20 hours per week on that subject, their schedule could work well for your learning style.
Arizona State University Online
ASU Online is another recognizable name in the online learning space. It’s part of a large public university and partners with well-known YouTubers and writers John and Hank Green on the “Study Hall” initiative. Their course catalog is also just as broad as SNHU’s, with psychology, business, biological sciences, and information technology being among their most popular undergraduate programs.
ASU Online’s courses are offered in two formats: asynchronous universal learner courses (ULCs) and traditional online courses. Some courses are only offered in one format or the other, so you need to plan carefully based on which degree you’re doing. If you benefit from a mix of fully self-paced learning and a traditional online course structure, ASU could be a great fit.
However, your cost might be dramatically impacted by which format your courses are in. For its traditionally formatted courses, ASU Online charges $580 per credit. ULCs, on the other hand, cost only $25 to access the course content, plus $400 to receive a grade and earn academic credit. Taking ULCs will cut your costs (and can be a great way to earn transfer credit into another degree program), but if you’re doing a full degree at ASU, many of your required courses may not be available as ULCs. To estimate your potential cost based on your ASU Online degree program, I recommend checking out their Tuition Estimator.
Purdue Global
Like ASU Online, Purdue Global’s affiliation with a large, prestigious public university system may give it a boost in terms of reputable online degrees. Purdue Global has 10-week terms (similar to SNHU) and offers some competency-based assessments. Their ExcelTrack is the cheapest and fastest way to earn a degree, as it has lower tuition and involves taking highly focused, one-credit courses. However, it is only designed for students with previous college credit and existing knowledge of the field they’re studying.
Some degrees require proctored exams, while others allow you to demonstrate mastery of the material through regular projects, quizzes, and other assessments. Purdue’s degrees might be the best fit for on-the-go professionals in IT/cybersecurity, data analytics, or marketing.
Purdue Global’s cost, though, may be a barrier for many students. They charge $371 per credit hour and run on a quarter-hour system rather than a semester-hour system. That means it takes 180 credit hours to earn one of their degrees (rather than 120), which makes Purdue Global the most expensive option here (up to $66,000).
Western Governors University (WGU)
WGU is another popular option for adult learners across the U.S. Unfortunately, WGU doesn’t currently accept international students, but it’s still a solid option for many on-the-go Americans.
WGU offers multiple computing degrees for programmers as well as degrees in data analytics, marketing, and UX design. WGU has new start terms every month; these terms are six months long, and you pay tuition by the term. Depending on which degree you’re pursuing, that’ll be anywhere from $3,500-$4,300 per term. That makes WGU very cost-effective for full-time students. However, if you study part-time or are a first-time degree-seeker, it can still take four or more years to finish your degree, which could run your total degree cost up to $30,000 or more.
WGU emphasizes competency-based learning (similar to the ExcelTrack at Purdue Global), so it’s possible to test out of many degree requirements by passing an exam. Grades at WGU are generally based on either performance assessments (projects, papers, or presentations to apply what you’ve learned) or objective assessments (proctored exams). In many cases, you can take these assessments as soon as you’ve mastered the course material, rather than waiting until the end of the term.
University of the People
At University of the People, instead of paying tuition, you only have to pay for your course assessment fees and your application fee. The cost of their Computer Science Bachelor’s degree comes out to just $7,300. That makes University of the People the most affordable option on the board, and it could be even less if you transfer previous college credits.
Similar to SNHU, University of the People runs on eight-week terms, with only some courses requiring proctored exams. However, the way their courses are structured is more flexible and doesn’t require as much structure in your week. At UoPeople, you’ll have work to complete each week, but when you complete it is up to you. Courses are divided into “learning weeks,” which typically start and end on Thursdays. You can submit your work any time that week, and you’re never obligated to attend a course section or be logged on to study at any specific time.
University of the People’s degree options are more limited than those of other institutions. At the undergraduate level, they offer Bachelor’s programs in computer science, health science, business administration, and general studies, as well as two computing certificate programs. At the graduate level, they offer Masters programs in business administration, IT, and education. For learners looking for training in any of those fields, UoPeople carries the lowest price tag of any of these schools.
In Conclusion
The most important thing to remember when choosing an online degree is that the program you choose needs to make sense for your life and your career. Unlike traditional college students, online learners don’t have the luxury of putting their life on hold to go to school. Thankfully, the higher education industry is starting to catch up, and working adult learners now have more options than ever before.
If you have a specific, niche degree program in mind that will get you to the next chapter in your career, a more expensive option like ASU Online, SNHU, or Purdue Global could be worthwhile. If you’re looking to add a degree to your existing credentials in the field you’re working in and have extensive knowledge to draw on, WGU’s competency-based model could make earning one of their degrees very efficient. If your top two priorities are affordability and flexibility, University of the People is worth checking out.