A Guide to Online Colleges in Kansas

The heart of the heartland, Kansas has played a major role in the history of the United States since the Louisiana Purchase, most notably during the lead up to the Civil War. Its plain-dominated landscape is also quintessentially American, even if much of that is a myth. (Scientists note that the state is only perhaps the twentieth flattest in the Union.) With a per capita GDP last measured at $46k in 2014, Kansas's economy is primarily based on agriculture and industrials: It ranks 8th in both oil and natural gas production, and agricultural output ranks 7th, making an economic impact of nearly $20 billion per year. There are 37 public institutions of higher education, plus 19 private schools in the state. Following recent trends toward flexible and affordable online delivery, more than 30 colleges and universities now offer distance education programs, from two-year associate tracks all the way through doctoral programs.

In-state tuition is often applied to public schools offering online programs. Many online programs require some face-to-face time, or more numerous support services at their brick and mortar locations. Intensive study experiences–often on the weekends or in several week long bouts–enable many online students to accelerate their time until graduation. And students looking at online education can drastically expand their educational options if they also look to hybrid degrees (degrees where degrees can be taken partially, or mostly online). Finally, one of the most common stipulations in scholarships is that students be from a certain state or region, often more funds are available to students seeking degrees in-state.

There are at least 17 public schools in Kansas offering online degrees. The largest of these, Washburn University, offers the most tracks in the state (41) across a wide range of fields, including 11 associates, 19 bachelors, 10 masters, and a doctoral degree. The second-largest distance education provider is Kansas State, with 11 bachelors — covering Food and Food Services, Education, and Business — and 25 masters, placing it first for online graduate degree opportunities. These cover: Education specializations, Engineering specializations, Business, Family and Community Services, Agribusiness, and Agricultural Education and Communication, among other unique disciplines. For students looking for two-year associate tracks, Butler Community College offers 19 and Cowley Community College has 13. Other notable schools include University of Kansas, Pittsburg State University, Emporia State University, Wichita State University, and Henderson State University.

There are at least 17 private schools in Kansas that offer online degrees, including Ottawa University (29 tracks), Southwestern College (23), Baker University (17), and Tabor College (10). Ottawa's 17 bachelors and 12 masters cover a diverse range of studies: most undergraduate tracks are Business specializations like Accounting, Finance, Health Care Management, Leadership Management, Entrepreneurship, and Global Operations; graduate degrees are offered primarily in MEd and MBA concentrations. From there, Southwestern offers studies in Psychology, Criminal Justice, Christian Ministries, Healthcare, Information Systems, Nursing, Education, Accounting, and others. For students pursuing associate options MidAmerica Nazarene University has AA's in Business, Liberal Arts, and the Arts.

Featured Online Schools

Potential Resident

For a variety of reasons, a student may look to move to the state of their online college program whether specifically required by the program or not — be it for a job, location desirability, school benefits, etc. Different states have different policies, however, and some of them can be rather demanding. Nonetheless, Kansas's residency requirements are fairly straightforward: if you or your legal guardian's have lived in the state for 12 consecutive months — and can demonstrate an intention to establish permanent residence — you qualify for in-state tuition. Additional qualifiers may include employment in Kansas, payment of Kansas state individual income taxes, reliance on Kansas sources for financial support, and other factors. For a full breakdown, visit the Kansas Board of Regents.

For 2015-16, the average tuition per-year for a four-year public school in Kansas was $8,530, or about $600 less than the national average. That represents a year-over-year increase of 3% and an 18% increase over five years. Overall, these are good numbers for residents looking to take advantage of in-state tuitions. While the five-year percent increase is slightly higher than the national average, many other states have suffered much steeper increases. Most important, over the last decade, no year-over-year tuition hike has been more than a few hundred dollars, allowing students to plan ahead; nor has tuition appeared to suffer aftershcoks from the Great Recession. If current trends hold, Kansans should continue to enjoy highly stable and affordable in-state tuition.

Newman University, a private Catholic liberal arts school, is the main provider of online degrees within Wichita's city limits, offering bachelor's degrees in Business Studies and Nursing (RN-BSN) and master's in Theology and Theological Studies. South of Wichita, Cowley County Community College is one the largest public community schools in the state to offer online options, including 13 two-year associate degrees and a bachelor's in Liberal Arts. Up Interstate 35, Butler Community College offers 21 associates — the most in the state — including studies in Accounting, Marketing & Management, Business Administration, Economics, Philosophy & Religion, History, Social Work, and Pre-Law. Tabor College, in Hillsboro, offers 10 degrees: an associate in Urban Ministry; 6 bachelors in Business, Nursing, and Ministry; and two MBAs and an MA in Entrepreneurial Ministry Leadership. From there, Hutchinson Community College, Central Christian College of Kansas, Bethany College, and Neosho County Community College are all within reasonable distance for occasional commuting.

On the Kansas side, Johnson County Community College, Ottawa University-Kansas City, University of Saint Mary, and MidAmerica Nazarene University offer online degrees within reach of Kansas City. The largest of these is Ottawa, a private Christian liberal arts school, which offers 17 bachelors and 12 masters across a range of disciplines, from Business, to Education, to Healthcare and Counseling. On the Missouri side, the University of Missouri—KC offers 2 bachelors (Rn to Bsn and Liberal Arts), 3 masters (MS in Dental Hygiene, MSN in Family Psychiatric Mental Health, and an Eds), and three doctorate tracks in Nursing and Pharmacy; Nazarene Theological Seminary offers 3 masters concentrations in Theological Studies. Baker University, in Baldwin, offers 17 online degrees.

Topeka's Washburn University offers 41 online degrees — 11 associates, 19 bachelors, 10 masters, and a doctoral degree — making it the largest provider in the state. Predictably, it's also the most wide-ranging, covering Criminal Justice, Music, Education, Public Administration, Medicine and Nursing, Information Science, and the Humanities. To the south, Emporia State University, Ottawa University, and Baker University offer online degrees; and MidAmerica Nazarene University and Johnson County Community College are options in nearby Kansas City. The University of Saint Mary offer 6 online tracks — 2 bachelors and 4 masters — and Highland Community College offers 9 associates in Accounting, Business Administration, Risk Management, Criminal Justice, and Medical Coding, among other subjects.

The Best Online Colleges in Kansas

Monitoring the accreditation of a university you are interested in attending is incredibly important. Accreditation ensures your credits can transfer that you can receive Federal financial aid, and most importantly that certain standards of educational quality are during your schooling. The highest accreditation standard for most programs in the United States is provided by regional accreditation agencies. The regional accrediting agency for Kansas is the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional accrediting agencies responsible for accrediting schools in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Making sure that a University you're hoping to attend is regionally accredited — or accredited by a real and respected accrediting agency — is one of the most important choices you can make in ensuring the quality of your education.

Three Steps for Securing Financial Aid

• Submit your FAFSA.

• Check to see if additional forms are needed at your university of choice.

• Search and apply for private scholarships.

Through the previous three steps most students find themselves offered some sort of federal grant, work study, private grant, scholarship, or stipend.

Great Kansas Higher Education Resources

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