A Guide to Online Colleges in New York

The Empire State is home to some of the nation's greatest historical landmarks, industries, and people. Upstate sets a majestic backdrop with millennia-old mountains, long beaches, enormous waterfalls, and gigantic lakes, while Downstate plays host to arguably the best-known financial district, arts and entertainment industry, and island city in the world: New York, New York. In addition to all of this, the State of New York houses the greatest number of in-state learning opportunities on the East Coast with two university systems that maintain an institution of higher learning within 30 miles of every resident. Of course, one of the best parts of living in the twenty-first century is that residents from almost anywhere can choose to attend college almost anywhere, so that someone in Upstate can attend a university in Downstate, and vice versa, all from the privacy of their own home. To be sure, there are a number of reasons why a growing number of students prefer to obtain degrees online and as residents of their own state.

One of the reasons is that in-state tuition can often be applied to public schools that offer online programs. Many online programs require some face-to-face interaction, or provide more numerous support services that local students can avail themselves of by being in close proximity to their brick-and-mortar locations. In addition, intensive study experiences—which often take place on weekends or in several weeklong bouts—enable many online students to accelerate their time-to-graduation. Students looking at online education opportunities can drastically expand their options if they also look into locally offered, hybrid online / onsite degrees (i.e., programs where classes can be taken either partially or mostly online), which students from other locales are unable to gain the advantage of. And finally, one of the most common stipulations in scholarships is that students be from a certain state or region, a stipulation for which local students will find far more funds available by seeking degrees in-state.

Many of the top public schools in New York offer online programs of study from the associate's degree up to the master's. Among the fifteen State University of New York (SUNY) institutions that offer such degrees, eight offer at least one online bachelor's degree. These are SUNY Empire State, SUNY College of Technology at Delhi, SUNY College of Technology at Canton, SUNY College of Technology at Alfred, SUNY College at Plattsburgh, SUNY College at Oswego, SUNY College at Oneonta, and the Fashion Institute of Technology, or FIT. For those looking to obtain an advanced certificate, associate's degree, or save funds and transfer into four-year programs, seven of fifteen New York community colleges offer at least one fully online associate's degree. All offer transfer programs into four-year programs around the state, and some offer advanced certificates. SUNY Empire State offers the greatest number of online master's degrees among public colleges and universities at 12, as well as the greatest number of bachelor's degrees for the same group at 13.

Featured Online Schools

A great number of online offerings are made available through private universities in New York. Offering degrees that sometimes range all the way from the associate's degree to the doctoral degree, over 37 private colleges and universities offer online degree programs across the state. In terms of a range of offerings from an associate's to a doctorate, Touro College leads the pack, offering at least one associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral program online. Pace and Adelphi University follow closely, with Pace offering online programs from the bachelor's level to the doctoral level and Adelphi offering online programs from the associate's level to the master's level. Syracuse University is the most prestigious private university in the state with online offerings, providing access to 14 online programs (7 bachelor's and 7 master's) as the 61st ranked national university in 2016, according to U.S. News.

Compared with the rest of the nation, New York is one of the most expensive states in terms of cost of higher education. From 2014-2015, the state's average annual tuition for a full-time undergraduate student was $17,125, which is $3,859 higher than the national average. During that year, Sarah Lawrence College was the most expensive institution to attend at $49,680 per year, while New York University was the most expensive popularly attended university at $43,746 per year. On the other hand, these prices are fairly average as far as national norms go for cost of attendance at private colleges and universities. And for a state where part-time and online options abound, online students will not pay sticker prices near this high, especially those who can find public colleges or universities that afford in-state rates or offer special scholarships for continuing education. SUNY at Albany for example, a top 150 ranked national university, came in well under the state average tuition at $6,170, which is largely representative of other public offerings in the state.

Nine New York City-based traditional four-year universities offer online degrees. Notable online offerings include include Touro College's Online Doctorate of Psychology in Human and Organizational Psychology, New York University's Master of Science program in Human Resource Management and Development, as well as the Fashion Institute of Technology's two-year Bachelor's program in International Trade and Marketing. Other schools based in New York City that are known for top-ranked online programs include Pace University, The New School, and Teachers College at Columbia University.

Six traditional four-year universities offer online degrees in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro area. Notable online offerings include Buffalo State's Master of Education program in Adult Education, Canisius College's Online Master's in Health Technology, as well as Niagara University's Master of Education in Developmental Disabilities Online. Other schools based in Buffalo-Niagara Falls that are known for their online programs include Medaille College, D'Youville College, and Trocaire College.

Three traditional four-year universities offer online degrees in Rochester. Notable online offerings include a Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction at Rochester Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Business Management at Nazareth University, and a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Roberts Wesleyan University. No other schools offering online programs are based in the area, but neighboring Buffalo and Syracuse, which do host schools that offer online programs, are just over of an hour's drive either way on I-90.

Best Online Colleges in New York

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 New York is Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of six regional accrediting agencies responsible for accrediting schools in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other geographical areas outside the United States in which the Commission conducts accrediting activities.

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 New York Higher Education Resources

• The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) awards over $4.6 billion per year to students enrolled at New York's private colleges and universities for a variety of different residents in the state. Here's a comprehensive list of the state organization's specific grants and scholarships that are awarded to NY-residents based on demographic background, academic achievement, and employment status, among other qualifications.

• New York's 529 college savings plan is NYsaves. If adopted early on, the plan allows parents, grandparents, and guardians to receive tax benefits for making contributions to their student's future from the get-go.

• The state government's Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is in charge of overseeing a wide range of grants and initiatives for increasing accessibility to New York colleges and universities. Check out their site for some of these opportunities.

• The New York Student Aid Alliance (NYSAA) is an activist group that promotes HESC and various new government-funded financial aid opportunities around the state.

• To attend events across the state for help filling out the FAFSA with financial aid professionals, check out College Goal NY.

• The State University of New York system, known as SUNY, maintains 64 institutions of higher learning across the state of New York, including 30 community colleges, each of which offers a unique learning experience. It is the second-largest university system in the United States, behind California's University System.

• For students who want to finish a degree or start an entirely new one at a certain location, Open SUNY + is an excellent resource that demonstrates the accessibility that comes from there being a college or university within 30 miles of every New Yorker.

• SUNY's Navigator is a particularly useful tool for New Yorkers looking into online programs based in their area. Use its drop-down menu to toggle different filters and find the online degree program that best suits you.

• The City University of New York system, known as CUNY, maintains 24 institutions of higher learning across New York City, including 7 community colleges. Like SUNY, the City University of New York is an independent public school system that receives most of its funding through local taxes. Unlike SUNY, however, it receives additional funding through taxes from New York City.

• CUNY's School of Professional Studies is particularly useful for local students looking for online programs based in New York City. Click on Academics to find links to their degree and certificate programs, most of which are offered fully online.

• NYCcollegeline.org offers a bundle of resources for students, parents, and guardians who have specific questions about college Admissions, Financial Aid, and finishing the college degree. Individual advisors are paid to answer your questions free of charge.

• The New York City Department of Education (NYSED) supports an office of Higher Education that provides an Inventory of Registered Program Searches. Students can use this resource to find the most popular programs according to online searches via public college and university websites, as well as whether or not students in those programs are eligible for certain kinds of public funding.

• Continuing Education Courses are offered for adult professionals in search of career advancement via certification or exploration of new careers. All 24 CUNY locations offer at least one course in Continuing Education.

• The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) is a collaborative organization that represents the public policy interests of over 100 independent colleges and universities in the State of New York. A list of its member institutions shows some of the best universities in the nation. Can you spy the ones that also show up on our guide?

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