Columbus State ranked No. 1 in GA for online programs; Columbus Tech is No. 7

Columbus State University is No. 1 among Georgia’s four-year schools and Columbus Technical College is No. 7 among the state’s two-year schools in a new ranking of online programs.

AffordableCollegesOnline.org collected and analyzed data from every accredited public or not-for-profit private postsecondary institution in the United States to determine “which colleges offered the most notable balances of academic rigor, student support and affordability for online learning,” according to the website.

To be in the 2016-17 rankings, an institution must offer at least three online degree programs, and the annual in-state tuition and fees must be less than $5,000 at a two-year school or less than $25,000 at a four-year school. The scoring metrics, according to the website, comprised the following categories:

▪  In-state tuition and fees for undergraduate students.

▪  Number and breadth of online programs.

▪  Student-faculty ratio.

▪  Six-year graduation rate (for four-year schools).

▪  Percentage of beginning, full-time undergraduates receiving scholarship/grant aid from the college.

▪  Average amount of scholarship/grant aid students receive from the college.

▪  Availability of academic/career counseling services.

▪  Availability of job placement services for students and graduates.

▪  Three-year loan default rate.

▪  Peer-Based Value, a proprietary metric that compares the cost of a program to the cost of other programs with the same or a similar qualitative score. It also compares the qualitative score of the program to the score of other programs with the same or similar cost. So the PBV denotes the overall value — the “bang for your buck” — of the school’s online degree.

With a score of 99.78, Columbus State tops the list of 23 Georgia four-year schools the website ranked. The rest of the top five are Brenau University (99.77), Shorter University (99.34), Albany State University (99.02) and Truett-McConnell College (98.99). Beulah Heights University received the lowest score (86.00) in this category.

Columbus Tech’s score of 91.83 finished seventh out of 17 Georgia two-year schools the website ranked, trailing Atlanta Technical College (94.31), Augusta Technical College (93.09), Central Georgia Technical College (92.45), Georgia Piedmont Technical College (92.02), Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (91.97) and Lanier Technical College (91.85). Georgia Perimeter College received the lowest score (88.96) in this category.

In Alabama, Troy University is No. 2 out of the 17 four-year schools the website ranked, with a score of 99.26, trailing only Judson College (99.79). The rest of the top five are University of Alabama at Birmingham (98.92), University of North Alabama (98.78) and the University of Alabama (98.52). Auburn University (97.24) is No. 13. The United States Sports Academy received the lowest score (86.00) in this category.

Chattahoochee Valley Community College isn’t among the nine two-year Alabama schools the website ranked. Gadsden State Community College (94.46) is No. 1, and Calhoun State Community College received the lowest score (89.57) in this category.

CSU President Chris Markwood said in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer, “I'm very pleased Columbus State University is being recognized again for quality and affordability. Our professors and programs are truly respected, as demonstrated by the national accreditations, peer recognition and student success stories that are now common across campus. I commend our faculty and staff for taking this quality online to better reach a growing segment of students who need to learn and advance their careers in different ways.”

Columbus Tech President Lorette Hoover said in a news release, “By embracing technology and offering continuous support, our students get the most affordable and quality-driven education available. Our teachers are learning how to teach to today’s generation while helping those who are behind the technology curve move forward. Understanding technology and having easy access is paramount in today’s learning environments.”

Out of 3,128 students enrolled this fall at Columbus Tech, 1,562 take at least one online class and 519 take only online classes, according to figures Cheryl Myers, the executive director of community and college relations, emailed the Ledger-Enquirer. The enrollment figures for CSU weren’t available before deadline.

This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Columbus State ranked No. 1 in GA for online programs; Columbus Tech is No. 7."