Get a head start on your psychology study by earning your bachelor's online. Our ranking of the top online psychology bachelor's programs includes institutions with good graduation rates, affordable tuition, and low transfer rates. To choose the best online bachelor's program for your learning preferences and professional objectives, continue reading.
How We Decided Which Are the Best Online Psychology Programs
Using 17 data points in the categories of credibility (including accreditation and nonprofit status), cost, student outcomes, student experience, and application procedure, we evaluated 47 universities that provide online psychology programs in the United States. We choose the top programs based on those who received 67% or more.
We specifically took into account accreditation, nonprofit status, the average price per year, financial aid options, graduation rate, transfer-out rate, and Pell Grant recipient graduation rate for each category.
The top-performing colleges were nonprofit, properly accredited, and had reasonable average net tuition rates. Schools with high rankings have few transfers out and offer individualized academic counseling.
Best Schools for Online Psychology Bachelor’s Degrees
University of Central Florida
Indiana University
Charter Oak State College
George Mason University
University of Memphis
University of Central Florida
Location: Orlando, Florida
Application fee: $30
Course structure: Both synchrony and asynchrony
Why It Was Selected
Online bachelor's degrees in psychology are available from the public university University of Central Florida. There are 120 credits required for this degree, 81 of which must be in major courses. The term length for classes is 16 weeks. To graduate, online psychology students must pass a capstone course, which usually entails a project or paper that summarizes their academic experience.
Students can earn a general degree or concentrate in one of five fields, including clinical psychology, experimental psychology, human factors psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, or neuroscience. This program is one of the top five undergraduate programs at UCF.
Students who live in-state pay $179 per credit. Students from out of state pay $716 per credit.
Benefits
Low annual average net price
High graduation rate across the whole institution
Student loan borrowing is relatively rare.
Drawbacks
Hours for online tech support are restricted
The ratio of instructors to students is high.
Indiana University
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Application fee: $65
Course structure: Asynchronous
Why It Was Selected
The 120 credits needed for Indiana University's online bachelor of science in psychology include 36 credits in psychology courses plus a capstone course. Major courses cover a variety of topics, including behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, sensation and perception, psychology of learning, abnormal psychology, and personality psychology.
Students who complete this bachelor's program are prepared for graduate school. Alternative employment paths for graduates include social work associates, school counselors, human resource managers, psychology instructors, and child custody workers. Online students can still interact with their friends and teachers to network and get help with their studies.
Each credit hour costs $242 for in-state students. Students from out of state pay $353 per credit hour.
Benefits
Low annual average net price
High graduation rate across the whole institution
Low rate of transfer-outs
Drawbacks
Expensive application fee
Charter Oak State College
Location: New Britain, Connecticut
Application fee: $50
Course structure: Asynchronous
Why It Was Selected
An online bachelor's degree in psychology is available through Charter Oak State College, a public online university that examines normal and abnormal human behavior. Since this is a degree-completion program, the majority of students transfer credits from prior schooling, life experience, or previous employment. Up to 87 semester credits may be transferred from regionally authorized two-year institutions to Charter Oak.
For a bachelor's degree in psychology from Charter Oak, students must complete 120 credits, including transfer credits. Of these credits, the student must complete 39 main courses. Although there are 17 weeks in a semester, students can choose to take their courses across 15, 8, or 5 weeks. The average class size is 25 students. Six start dates are available to students throughout the academic year.
Students who live in-state pay $319 per credit. Students from out of state pay $419 per credit.
Benefits
Low annual average net price
Significant socio-economic diversity
24/7 technical assistance for online students
Drawbacks
No therapy or mental health services
Graduates have a high median overall debt level
George Mason University
Location: Fairfax County, Virginia
Application fee: $70-$80
Course structure: Synchronous and asynchronous
Why We Chose It
Students at George Mason University have the option of studying psychology online. There are Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts options for this curriculum. The BS concentrates on math and physics as they relate to the psychology industry. With a focus on psychology, the BA provides a liberal arts education.
Learners must complete 120 credits for both the BA and BS degrees, of which 26–36 credits—depending on the student's selected track—must be in basic psychology courses. The areas of clinical psychology, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, developmental psychology, educational psychology, and health psychology are all options for psychology majors to focus on during their academic careers. A concentration can be chosen if you want to.
Each credit costs $408 for in-state students. Students out of state tuition is $1,415
Benefits
Positive graduation rate for the entire institution
Pell Grant beneficiaries have a high rate of graduation.
Drawbacks
Low transfer-out rate
Online students cannot get tech support via live chat
High per-credit fee for out-of-state credit
University of Memphis
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Application fee: $50
Course structure: Asynchronous
Why It Was Selected
The Public University of Memphis offers a 120-credit bachelor of arts in psychology online program that normally takes four years to complete. 39 major credits in subjects like general psychology, thinking and cognitive processes, multicultural psychology, and abnormal child psychology are part of the curriculum for this degree.
Students can complete their BA in general psychology or focus on either behavioral neuroscience or cognitive science. There are 24 credits in each concentration. To graduate, all seniors must pass a psychology field exam. Graduates possess abilities in communication, critical thinking, and quantitative analysis.
Benefits
Low annual average net price
Low rate of transfer out
High socioeconomic diversity
Drawbacks
Graduates have a high median overall debt level
Online students cannot get tech support via live chat