10 Cheapest Self Paced Online College

Do you know you can complete a degree online without breaking the bank? I present to you the cheapest self paced online college that gives you the option of completing a program at your own learning pace without breaking the bank.

For a long time, the education sector seemed like the only sector that hasn’t seen any progress. The finance, engineering, healthcare, and tech industries were all advancing but education remain stuck, there wasn’t much improvement. However, thanks to the internet and the advent of digital tools we were finally able to get an improvement in education.

With these digital tools, you can do a lot of stuff to enhance your learning experience and capabilities. There’s no longer any need to buy and carry bulky college textbooks around as you can just download college textbooks PDF for free from websites or download them as eBooks for free and have hundreds of them either on your smartphone, laptop, iPad, or tablet.

To me, the most interesting part of digitalization in the education niche is online learning and distance education. The fact that I, in Canada, can learn from a university in Australia without moving from my comfort zone is insane. No need for flight tickets, paying for dorms, or adjusting to a whole new culture as a typical international student but can stay in my home and earn a degree online.

And how do I know this?

Well, if you must know there are construction management degree programs and honorary doctorate degrees that you can start and complete online. The list of online degree programs available goes on and on, from structural engineering degrees to 2-year civil engineering degree programs that you can complete online.

Online education is faster to complete, like the online accelerated bachelor’s degree that can be completed in less than 2 years or the associate degree you can complete in 6 months. You can also some free degree programs online like the free online master’s degree courses we have written on.

Degrees aren’t the only thing you can get online. There are a host of skills you can learn online from certain online learning websites such as Coursera, Udemy, FutureLearn, Khan Academy, etc., and get an industry-recognized certificate. Many online courses are free allowing you to learn and gather as many skills as possible without breaking the bank and at the end of the course, you can get a free certificate or a paid one in some cases.

What is a Self-paced Online College

A self paced online college is a college that offers online programs and courses allowing students to complete coursework and assignment at their own learning pace, that is, you get to complete your program on your own time. You can go faster or slow but not slower.

Benefits of Self Paced Online Colleges

Many perks come with enrolling in an online program at a self paced online college, these benefits are:

  • Self paced online college allow students to complete coursework and the whole program at their own pace. They learn at a time that is convenient for them.
  • They are flexible and, therefore, fit into the schedule of busy students.
  • You get to learn at your convenience or anywhere that is comfortable enough for you to learn. You can learn at home or while at work.
  • They equip you with real-world skills and experience
  • Student’s learning materials are always handy
  • Since you are learning at your own pace you can decide to complete the program faster
  • The tuition of self paced online college is less costly and you can find programs like cheap online civil engineering degree programs and cheap online bachelor’s degrees offered by some of the top colleges.
  • You won’t be worrying about frequent deadlines and check-ins.

cheapest self paced online college

List of Cheapest Self Paced Online College

While there are many online colleges, which are typically self-paced, how costly do you think they are? Some are more expensive to enroll in than others and in this post, I have brought to you the cheapest self paced online college. In an online college, you will complete your program at your own learning pace and get your accredited degree without breaking the bank.

Furthermore, the cheapest self paced online college could be your way to a college education without accumulating huge debt. The cheapest self paced online college discussed here can help you with your school search and offer you a wider array of options to choose from.

Whether you are looking for a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, associate degree, or a professional certification online learning can be the thing for you to achieve your learning goals.

Without any further ado, the list of cheapest self paced online colleges are:

1.     American Public University (APU)

If you are looking to earn a certificate or degree online and at your own pace without breaking the bank, the American Public University can be a good fit for you. At APU, you get to learn in your own time, in your space, and you get to learn from expert professors located across the world who will bring a different perspective of your field of interest to you.

At APU there is an increased level of student-teacher interaction. You can interact with your professors online through message boards, visual presentations, and videos. The tuition rates at APU are $285 per credit hour for undergraduate and $370 per credit hour for master’s level. Students with military grants pay $250 per credit hour for undergraduate or masters.

Fees for textbooks & eBooks, admission & registration for undergraduate and master’s, and transfer credit evaluation are waived. Scholarships and other financial aid options are available to support your education.

Visit school

2.     UF Online

UF Online is the online learning and distance education platform of the University of Florida. The online bachelor’s program at this university is ranked as the best by the US News & World Report. So, this isn’t just one of the cheapest self paced online college but also one of the best online colleges.

At UF Online, you can find more than 25 undergraduate degree programs, 75 master’s, 8 doctoral degrees, and other professional certificate programs. Some of the popular online programs at UF Online are nursing, psychology, geology, criminology, computer science, anthropology, education science, sport management, sociology, and public relations.

The tuition fee for UF Online is $129 per credit hour for residents of Florida and $552 per credit hour for non-residents of Florida. There are also scholarships and financial aid options available for all students.

Visit school

3.     U of A Online

U of A Online is the online learning and distance education platform for the University of Arkansas which provides education, through a wide range of innovative online programs, to students anywhere in the world. U of A Online offers affordable online education to all students with total credit per hour cost of $165.

Aside from being one of the cheapest self paced online college, U of A is ranked top in many categories by US News & World Report and America’s Top Online Colleges. There is a wide range of bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, specialist, and certificate programs offered online by U of A.

Visit school

4.     Great Basin College

With a tuition fee of $3,248 per year, Great Basin College passes for one of the cheapest self paced online college. The online programs offered at GBC are affordable and one of the best, you can tell from the number of students that enroll in the online programs annually, that they are over 4,000 students.

You can complete bachelor’s or associate degree programs fully online at your own pace from the comfort of your home.

Certificate programs are also offered online. Some of the popular programs are computing technology, business, nursing, teacher education, digital information and technology, human services, and science technologies.

Visit school

5.     Thomas Edison University

You might like to apply for Thoman Edison University because, so far on this list, they offer the highest number of online programs. And you can complete these programs at your own pace and convenience. They are also fully online. The online programs cover undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as, other certificate programs.

You can find an associate of science in business administration, a bachelor of arts in cybersecurity, a master of arts in educational leadership, and a certificate in homeland security or marketing. The tuition fee for a credit hour for residents of New Jersey is $399 and for non-residents, the fee is $519 per credit hour.

Visit school

6.     FHSU Online

FHSU Online is the online learning and distance education platform of Fort Hays State University and offers over 200 self-paced degree and certificate programs. Online degree programs lead to associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate qualifications.

FHSU, aside from being one of the cheapest self paced online colleges is also ranked by US News & World Report as the best online program for bachelors.

So, you won’t just be attending an affordable online college but also one of the best. The tuition here varies by degree program. Undergraduates pay $226.88 per credit hour and graduate is $298.55 per credit hour. The MBA program is $350 per credit hour while DNP is $400 per credit hour.

Visit school

7.     CSC Online

On my 7th list of cheapest self paced online college is CSC Online, the online learning and distance education platform of Chadron State College. Here, you can pursue and complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree online at affordable rates.

You see other schools on this list where there are different tuitions for residents and non-residents, it isn’t so at CSC Online. Everyone pays the same tuition.

Undergraduate tuition is $296 per credit hour and $370 per credit hour for graduates. This is an online college that will benefit non-residents and international students more because they won’t pay higher fees.

Visit school

8.     The University of Mary Online

This university has over 25 years of online teaching experience. They offer a wide range of online programs for bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, doctorate degrees, and certificate levels.

All the online programs here are self-paced and affordable allowing you to study at your own pace and get a nationally and internationally recognized degree or certification without breaking the bank.

The popular programs at the University of Mary Online are business, education, and health sciences. Tuition per credit hour starts from $460 and scholarships are available for all students. The average scholarship awarded per semester is $1,213.

Visit school

9.     Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is an expert at offering quality online programs. Its quality and affordable academic offerings have gotten it on so many ranking platforms including US News & World Report. There are over 15,000 students enrolled annually in BYU online programs which are over 50 covering bachelor’s and professional certificate study levels.

Popular online programs here are marketing, business management, public health, supply chain, and operations management, web design and development, and family history research. The annual tuition fee is $4,300.

Visit school

10.  Columbia College

My final cheapest self paced online college is Columbia College. It is one of the affordable and best online colleges as ranked by Value Colleges and US News & World Report. Columbia College offers over 40 online degree programs that you can complete at your own pace, anywhere, anytime.

The tuition cost here is $375 per credit hour for undergraduate programs and $490 per credit hour for graduate programs. Technology fees, book costs, and lab fees are waived. More than 16,000 students enrolled in Columbia College’s online programs annually.

Visit school

This wraps up the post on the cheapest self paced online college and I hope they have been helpful. To learn about entry requirements for each school contact the admission office to get full details.

Cheapest Self Paced Online College – FAQs

Why is accreditation important for online college?

Accreditation is important for online colleges so that students can easily transfer credits across other accredited institutions in the country.

Is online college more affordable?

Yes, online college or online learning is more affordable compared to in-person or on-campus learning options and this is due to the lower overhead that is needed to operate the programs.

Recommendations