How to Find the Best Online Colleges

Thursday, August 05, 2010 at 11:59 PM

Recently my younger brother got his bachelors degree from an online college. Because he was working a full-time job and married with three children, an online institution gave him the perfect solution to furthering his education within his time-crunched life.

I held him a surprise graduation ceremony. His kids, my three kids and our parents lined up at the door. When he walked in with the "Pomp and Circumstance" march playing, I handed him a graduation robe and cap and he walked up to a makeshift podium and gave an emotional speech about how much this accomplishment meant to him.

To this date, it is by far the favorite graduation ceremony I've ever attended. Whenever I tell this story, I often hear from people that they too have thought about going the online route to further their education. They tell me they're baffled about how to determine the top online colleges.

Recently I discovered a web site that ranks online colleges and universities by collecting data such as graduation rates, retention rates and student satisfaction scores. The site helps you figure out which are the best online colleges.

My brother was ahead of the curve. More than four million students are currently enrolled in online courses and universities, according to a CBS News report.

So for all of you thinking about taking that next important educational step, Best Online Colleges provides an excellent place to start.