Affordable online English programs are less about finding the lowest advertised rate and more about lowering your total cost to complete the degree. The levers that actually move the number are the per-credit price you pay, how many credits you pay it on, and which fees get added afterward. English has an advantage other majors do not: it is a low-equipment field. There is no lab fee, no studio fee, no software license, and no clinical placement. That makes credits and fees almost the entire cost picture, which in turn makes transfer credit the single largest lever at the bachelor’s level.
Quick Answers
What actually lowers the cost of an English degree?
Three things: an in-state or flat online rate rather than an out-of-state rate, transferring in prior college credit, and credit by exam such as CLEP or DSST for composition and general education. Reducing how many credits you pay full price for beats chasing a slightly lower advertised rate.
Do online programs charge in-state rates to out-of-state students?
Many public universities charge a flat online rate regardless of residency, but not all do. Some still apply out-of-state pricing to online students living elsewhere. Confirm the specific policy with each school before enrolling, and ask whether the flat rate applies at the graduate level too.
Can transfer credits reduce total cost?
Yes, and in this major more than most. Composition, general education, and introductory literature surveys transfer readily, and they make up a large share of the roughly 120 credits in a bachelor’s. Upper-division seminars transfer less readily. Ask each school how many credits it will actually accept toward the major.
What fees should I expect on top of the rate?
Technology fees per term or per course, proctoring charges for online exams at some schools, and occasionally a thesis-filing fee at the graduate level. There are no lab, studio, or equipment fees in English. Ask each school for an itemized fee schedule at your degree level.
Do I need to buy expensive materials?
Books, mostly, and the bill is real if a survey course assigns eight of them. Ask whether courses use anthologies, open-access editions, or library e-books, and whether the school’s library license covers the assigned texts. Over a full degree, the difference between a program built on open editions and one built on new anthologies is not trivial.
At a Glance
- Compare: In-state or flat online rates across schools
- Check: Transfer credit and prior-learning assessment policies
- Ask about: Technology and proctoring fees billed on top of the rate
- Reduce: Total credits taken at full price through transfer credit or credit by exam
- Calculate: Per-credit rate multiplied by total required credits, plus fees and books – not the rate alone
For a full overview of program options, start with the English Program Guide.
Schools to compare
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
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
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
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$143,372
Avg net price
$20,111/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Ways to lower the cost of an online English degree
In-state or flat online rates
Many public universities set a single online rate for all students regardless of home state, which can be substantially lower than an out-of-state campus rate. Some schools still distinguish between in-state and out-of-state online pricing, so confirm the policy before applying. If you are eligible, also check regional reciprocity agreements between neighboring states, which sometimes reduce out-of-state pricing for specific programs.
Transfer credit and prior learning
Bringing in credit from a prior degree, community college coursework, or standardized exams reduces the number of courses you need to complete. This lever is largest at the bachelor’s level. Ask each school:
- What is the maximum number of transfer credits accepted
- What minimum grade is required for a course to transfer
- Whether composition and introductory literature credit satisfies major prerequisites or only counts as general elective hours
- Whether the historical distribution requirement can be satisfied by transfer courses
- Whether an associate degree completed at a partner community college transfers as a block
Prior-learning assessment is less common in English than in applied fields, since the major is assessed by written argument produced in the program. Where it exists, ask what it evaluates and what the assessment itself costs.
Credit by exam
Composition and introductory literature are among the most widely available exam-credit subjects. Passing an exam that a school accepts for a three-credit course removes that course from your bill entirely. Confirm in advance which exams a school accepts, what score it requires, and how many exam credits it will apply, because caps are common.
Fees beyond the rate
Two programs with the same per-credit price can bill very differently once fees are added. Ask each school for an itemized schedule covering:
- Technology and online-platform fees, charged per term or per course
- Proctoring charges for online exams, if any
- Graduation, transcript, and thesis-filing fees
- Whether any residency or on-campus orientation is required, which adds travel
Compare total cost, not the advertised rate
The comparison that matters is per-credit rate multiplied by total required credits, plus fees across the whole program. A school with a lower rate and a 39-credit major requirement can cost more than a school with a higher rate that accepts more of your transfer credit. Ask each school to confirm total required credits in writing alongside the rate.
Pacing and time enrolled
Finishing coursework faster through an accelerated format does not usually reduce the per-credit rate, but it can reduce total cost by shortening how long you are enrolled and limiting exposure to rate increases in later terms. Weigh that against what compression does to reading and to the capstone paper.
Before you compare two programs on price, ask each one how many of your existing credits it will accept and how many of those count toward the major rather than toward electives. That single answer usually moves total cost more than the difference between the two advertised rates.
Where students overpay
Three mistakes account for most of the avoidable cost in this major.
The first is enrolling before the transfer evaluation is complete. Schools will let you start while credits are still being reviewed, and courses you take in that window sometimes duplicate credit you already had. Ask for the evaluation in writing before your first registration, not after.
The second is treating the advertised rate as the comparison. A program with a higher per-credit price that accepts thirty more of your credits and requires a 36-credit major is cheaper than a lower-priced program that accepts fifteen and requires 45. The only comparison that means anything is total credits you will personally pay for, multiplied by the rate, plus fees.
The third is buying every book new. English is a book-heavy major, and over four years the difference between a program built on library-licensed e-books and open editions and one built on new anthologies is a real line item. Ask the department which editions are required and whether substitutions are permitted, because in many courses any complete edition of a public-domain text is acceptable.
Cost factors to compare
- Rate per credit and total credits required for the degree
- Whether the school charges a flat per-term rate or bills strictly per credit
- Technology, proctoring, and graduation fees
- Transfer credit and credit-by-exam policies at the bachelor’s level
- Book and anthology costs, and whether the library license covers assigned texts
- Whether any in-person residency or orientation is required
Degree level and cost
At the bachelor’s level, transfer credit has the most room to work, because roughly 120 credits gives you surface area to reduce and composition and general education are the easiest credits to bring in. At the master’s level the picture changes: transfer credit is capped tightly in most graduate programs, so the comparison shifts to per-credit rate, total required credits, and whether a thesis adds terms compared with a comprehensive exam track. See Online Bachelor’s in English and Online Master’s in English for what each level involves.
Be especially deliberate about cost at the graduate level. A master’s in English is worth paying for when it is attached to a specific use – community college teaching, a district salary schedule, doctoral preparation, or a field you intend to work in seriously. It is not a general employability upgrade for the writing and editing jobs a bachelor’s already reaches. See Is an Online English Degree Worth It.
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Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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