Discover the Best Online ADN Programs

Base Methodology for EduMed’s “Best Online College Rankings” for the ‘24-’25 school year.

One: Create a list of eligible schools & programs

To be eligible for ranking, schools were required to meet the following criteria based on data pulled from The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which was self-reported by the schools themselves.

• Institutional accreditation from an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
• At least one online component in a program within the ranking-subject area.
• The existence of academic counseling on campus and/or online.
• The existence of career placement services on campus and/or online.

Two: Assign weightings to eligible schools & programs

After creating the list of eligible schools, EduMed data scientists assigned weights and ranked schools based on a mix of metrics, which were all self-reported by the school themselves to the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.

The metrics are listed below in order of most- to least-heavily weighted.

• Online Programs – Number of online programs, either partially- or fully-online, in the relevant subject area. Because exact numbers change often and can be difficult to verify, we use a range-based scoring system to represent this category with laptop icons.
• % in Online Ed. – Percent of total students taking at least one distance education class.
• Tuition – Average in-state tuition for undergraduate students studying full-time, as self-reported by the school.
• % Receiving Award – Percent of full-time, first-time students receiving an award in 6 years.
• Avg. Inst. Aid – Average amount of institutional grant aid awarded to full-time, first-time undergraduates.
• Student/Faculty Ratio – The number of students per faculty member.

About Our Data

EduMed’s rankings use the latest official data available from The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Most recent data pull: July 2024