A Guide To Online Colleges in Pennsylvania

The Keystone State is home to one of the nation's largest populations, with over 13 million inhabitants as of 2016. Historic in its role as one of United States' original thirteen colonies and economic hubs, Pennsylvania is known for housing some of America's most famous political landmarks, including the Liberty Bell, the national icon that can be found in a city park of the state's largest city of Philadelphia; Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were drafted; as well as the site for the Battle of Gettysburg, which turned the tide of the American Civil War. In addition to all these landmarks, as well as countless museums in its cities, Pennsylvania's hinterlands feature a great number of outdoor and recreational opportunities: 121 state parks with free admission, hundreds of square miles of public land for hunting and fishing, as well as at least 15 amusement parks.

The State of Pennsylvania also plays host to the second-largest number of in-state learning opportunities in the Northeast with a university system that maintains 14 public colleges and universities and over 130 private colleges, universities, and institutes. Of course, one of the best parts about living in the twenty-first century is that residents from almost anywhere can choose to attend a college or university from almost anywhere, so that someone in Pennsylvania's more rural northern half could attend an institution in the state's urban southern half, and vice versa, all from the privacy of their home. So whether you're a longtime resident or a recent mover, there are a number of reasons why you might want to obtain a degree online as an in-state resident. If you're trying to figure out how to do so, this guide is for you.

One reason to obtain an online degree in your home state 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 they provide more numerous support services that local students can avail themselves of by living close to their brick-and-mortar locations. 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 search for locally offered, hybrid online / onsite degrees (i.e., programs where classes can be taken either partially or mostly online), and which students from other locations are unable to gain advantage of. And finally, one of the most common stipulations for obtaining scholarships is that applicants be from a certain state or region, a stipulation that permits far more funds for local students seeking degrees in-state than students applying from out-of-state.

Featured Online Schools

Many of the top public schools in Pennsylvania offer online programs of study from the associate's degree up to the doctorate. Among Pennsylvania's eighteen public-funded colleges and universities offering such degrees, fifteen offer at least one online bachelor's degree. These include the Penn State University system at all ten of its commonwealth institutions that offer online degrees — World Campus, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, New Kensington, Erie-Behrend, Main Campus, College of Medicine, York, Schuylkill, and Worthington-Scranton — as well as Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and California University of Pennsylvania. For those looking to obtain an associate's degree, or save funds and transfer into four-year programs, four of Pennsylvania's fifteen community colleges offer at least one fully online associate's degree. All offer transfer programs into four-year programs around the state. Penn State University's Main Campus, New Kensington, Erie-Behrend, and College of Medicine tied for offering the greatest number of online master's degrees among public colleges and universities at 39, as well as the greatest number of bachelor's degrees for the same group at 23. All four of these institutions also offer 1 doctoral degree.

A great number of online courses are made available through private universities in Pennsylvania. Offering degrees that sometimes range all the way from the associate's degree to the doctoral degree, 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, Baptist Bible College and Seminary leads the pack, offering at least one associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral program online, including 28 master's degrees and 2 doctoral degrees. Robert Morris University and DeSales University follow closely, with Robert Morris offering online programs at the bachelor's and master's level, and DeSales offering online programs from the associate's level to the doctoral. Villanova University is the most prestigious private university in the state with online offerings, providing access to 9 online bachelor's programs as the number one ranked regional university in 2017, according to U.S. News.

For a variety of reasons, online learners may move to the state that hosts their online college program, whether specifically required by the program or not — be it for a job, love of the area, or for scholarship benefits, etc. Different states have different policies on what defines a resident, and some of them can be rather demanding. Pennsylvania is one of these. To declare residency in the state for tuition purposes, an incoming student must reside continually in a Pennsylvania domicile for at least 12 months prior to attending the university, and that student's presence in the state must not be primarily for educational purposes. This means that an online learner who moves to Pennsylvania expressly to receive in-state tuition will not earn the perk of in-state tuition just by renting an apartment on the border. However, if a student were to relocate (or already be relocated) to the state for job or career purposes, family ties, or personal needs such as those involved with healthcare and has paid taxes at least once to the state government, they are much more likely to be considered a resident in the public university system's eyes. Military personnel on active duty in the state residing in a Pennsylvania domicile are also granted in-state tuition without needing to have lived there 12 months prior.

Compared with the rest of the nation, Pennsylvania is one of the most expensive states in terms of cost of higher education. For 2015-2016, the state's average annual tuition for a full-time undergraduate student was $20,527, which is $6,941 higher than the national average. During that year, Franklin and Marshall College was the most expensive institution to attend at $50,300 per year, while Penn State Main Campus was the most expensive popularly attended university at $16,572 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. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania for example, a 104th ranked regional university, came in well under the state average tuition at $7,060, which is largely representative of other public offerings in the state.

Fifty-four Pennsylvania-based traditional four-year universities offer online degrees. Popular online offerings include include the Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Psychology, and Bachelor of Business Administration at Penn State University-World Campus, as well as that institution's Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. Other notable universities in Pennsylvania that are consistently recognized for top-ranked online programs include Carnegie Mellon University and its fully online MBA program, Villanova University and its fully online MS in Engineering, as well as Temple University and its BS in Business Administration.

Seven traditional four-year universities and one community college offer online degrees in the Philadelphia metro area. Notable offerings include Drexel University's Doctor of Nursing Practice, St. Joseph's University's Master of Science in Special Education, as well as Peirce College's Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Other schools based in Philadelphia that are consistently recognized for their online programs include Temple University, La Salle University, and University of the Sciences.

Four traditional four-year universities and one community college offer online degrees in Pittsburgh. Notable online offerings include a Master of Science in Nursing at Duquesne University, a Master of Science in Business Administration at Carnegie Mellon, and a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Chatham University. Other schools offering online programs based in the area include Point Park University and its Master of Science in Health Care Administration and Management, as well as the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and its Associate in Specialized Technology and Funeral Service Arts and Sciences.

The Best Online Colleges in Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania is the Middle States Commission of Higher Education, 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 geographic areas 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 Pennsylvania Higher Education Resources

• The Associate of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) maintains over $50 million in endowment from business donors to its Foundation, from which it draws to provide scholarships to students at Pennsylvania's private colleges and universities. Here's a comprehensive list of the organization's member colleges and universities, many of which offer scholarships made possible through AICUP.

• Pennsylvania's 529 college savings plan is PA529. 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 Assistance Agency (PHEAA) is in charge of overseeing a wide range of grants and initiatives for increasing accessibility to Pennsylvania colleges and universities. Check out their site for some of these opportunities.

• Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is the site to visit for any and all information pertaining to public higher education in the state.

• For students who want to finish a degree or start an entirely new one at one of Penn State's locations, PA Universities Online is an excellent resource that demonstrates the accessibilty that comes from there being a college or university that offers an online education in every corner of the state.

• The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges maintains 14 institutions, 4 of which offer online degrees. See their site for more general information on locations, credit-granting mechanisms and policies, as well as funding and workforce development.

• The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides list some general resources for students interested in learning more about how public Pennsylvania colleges and universities are governed and which ones are accredited.

• PennLive offers a live newsfeed of information pertaining to the ever-changing state of education in the state of Pennsylvania.

• The Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Education provides abundant resources for students looking for assistance with career and technical education both in and around the City of Brotherly Love.

• Penn State offers a list of rules for classification as a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

• The Pennsylvania DMV furnishes new residents with a wealth of information as to how to go about becoming an official resident of the Keystone State.

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