Key takeaway: 2,300 of the institutions in our directory that offer fully online programs report business completions to the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS CIP 52 families). Business is the largest online field in the country by a wide margin, so availability tells you nothing. What separates programs is the major you choose inside business, whether the business school holds programmatic accreditation, and how the curriculum handles quantitative work. The schools below are ordered by BOC Score.
Business is not one degree. A general business administration major, an accounting major, and a finance major share a core and then diverge sharply in coursework, in the credentials they lead to, and in the kind of work they open. Decide the major before you decide the school.
Schools to Compare
These accredited institutions report business completions and at least one program completable entirely online. Ranked by BOC Score within that group.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$102,772
Avg net price
$12,116/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 6
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,588
Avg net price
$6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 172
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
8%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,718
Avg net price
$13,370/yr
TuitionIn‑state$64,144
Out‑of‑state$64,144
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 78
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
9%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,511
Avg net price
$12,548/yr
TuitionIn‑state$15,203
Out‑of‑state$49,403
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 161
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$83,648
Avg net price
$13,138/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 206
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$91,885
Avg net price
$14,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 105
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
27%
Graduation rate
87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$84,943
Avg net price
$12,470/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,758
Out‑of‑state$50,958
Key stats
- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 133
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,200
Avg net price
$11,655/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 117
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$91,565
Avg net price
$15,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 96%
- Programs offered: 157
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Two IPEDS fields produced this list and nothing more: completions reported under the business CIP families (CIP 52) and the distance education program flag from the Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024). Those fields confirm that a school awards business degrees and runs fully online programs. They do not identify which business majors are offered online at each school, whether the business school holds programmatic accreditation, or which concentrations are current. Check the school’s own catalog for the major and the delivery format before you apply.
Choose the major before the school
- Business administration. The broad management core: management, marketing, operations, organizational behavior, and enough accounting and finance to read a statement. It fits people who want general management or who do not yet know where inside business they will land. Start with the business administration guide.
- Accounting. The most rule-bound business major and the one with the clearest credential path. Licensure as a CPA is set by state boards and generally requires coursework well beyond a standard bachelor’s, plus an exam and an experience requirement. See the accounting program guide.
- Finance. Corporate finance, valuation, investments, and financial modeling. The most quantitative of the common majors, and the one where the math sequence in a program matters most. See the finance program guide.
- Marketing. Research, brand and product management, and the analytics side of demand. Increasingly a data-heavy major rather than a creative one. See the marketing program guide.
- Management information systems and analytics. The bridge between business and technology, and the fastest-growing part of most business schools.
How to read business school accreditation
Institutional accreditation and business accreditation are different things. Every school in our directory holds institutional accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, which is what determines whether your credits are real and whether graduate schools recognize the degree. On top of that, some business schools hold programmatic accreditation from a specialist business accreditor.
What programmatic business accreditation is worth depends on your goal. It carries real weight for competitive graduate admission, for some corporate recruiting pipelines, and for academic careers. It matters much less for a working adult finishing a bachelor’s to move up inside an employer that already knows their work. Treat it as one factor rather than a filter, and never as a substitute for institutional accreditation.
Bachelor’s, MBA, or a specialized master’s
A bachelor’s in business is the entry credential. The MBA is a general management degree usually taken after several years of work, and it is worth the most to people who have management experience to build on. A specialized master’s in accounting, finance, or analytics goes deeper in one function and is often the better choice for a technical role.
If you are weighing graduate options, the MBA concentrations guide lays out how the specializations differ and which ones map to which roles. If you are still finishing an undergraduate degree, the more useful question is which major gets you working, since most MBA programs prefer applicants who have been in the workforce.
One more distinction matters at the undergraduate level. A BBA sits inside a business school and loads more of the degree with business coursework; a BA or BS in business puts more weight on general education and electives, which leaves room for a minor in something technical. Neither is better in the abstract. The BBA suits students who are certain about business and want depth early; the BA or BS suits students who want a second field alongside it, which is increasingly how analytics and technology roles are staffed. Ask each school which structure it uses and how many credits the business core consumes, because that number decides how much freedom you have left.
What to check in an online business program
- The quantitative core. Statistics, managerial accounting, and finance are where online business students most often stall. Ask how those courses are taught, whether tutoring is available in the evening, and whether exams are proctored.
- Group work. Business curricula lean on team projects. In an online program, ask how teams are formed across time zones and how they are graded.
- Applied capstone. A consulting project, a simulation, or an analytics capstone gives you something concrete to show an employer.
- Career services for online students. Confirm that online students get the same employer relationships, coaching, and recruiting access as on-campus students.
- Term structure and pace. Short terms with several start dates suit working students. Our guide to the fastest online degrees explains how accelerated formats work.
Quick Answers
How many online colleges offer business degrees?
In our directory, 2,300 institutions with fully online programs report business completions (IPEDS CIP 52 families). Business is the most widely offered online field, so use accreditation, the major itself, and the outcome data on each card to narrow the list rather than availability.
Is an online business degree respected by employers?
Employers hire on the institution’s accreditation and reputation, your experience, and what you can demonstrate, not on the delivery format. Most large universities now teach the same business curriculum online and on campus with the same faculty and the same diploma.
Should I major in business administration or a specialized business field?
Choose business administration if you want breadth or are undecided, and a specialized major if you already know the function you want. Accounting and finance have the most defined technical paths; marketing and management information systems sit closer to analytics work than most applicants expect.
Do I need an MBA?
Not to start a business career. The MBA is a general management degree that pays off most for people who already have work experience and want to move into broader management. A specialized master’s is often a better fit for a technical role.
Next steps
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions survey (CIP 52 business families) and Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024) distance education program flags (DISTPGS); directory counts as of the September 2026 data refresh.
