2023 Most Popular Online Education Schools
Finding the Most Popular Online Education School for You
With 327,871 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, education is the #4 most popular major in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Online Education Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 602 schools in the United States to see which online programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
2023 Most Popular Online Education Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Education Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Online Schools in Education
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the most popular online school in the United States for education students. WGU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.
After completing their degree, education graduates from WGU carry an average student debtload of $24,749.
Full Education at Western Governors University Report
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Canyon University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Education Schools list. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.
After completing their degree, education graduates from Grand Canyon University carry an average student debtload of $36,153. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $118, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Education at Grand Canyon University
Request Information
Out of the 602 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at Liberty University take out is $30,096.
Full Education at Liberty University Report
Request Information
Out of the 602 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Capella University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
Request Information
Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for education students. It came in at #6 on the list. A-State is a large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at A-State take out is $23,716.
Read full report on Education at Arkansas State University - Main Campus
Request Information
Northcentral University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, Northcentral University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Education at Northcentral University Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #9, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Tempe.
After completing their degree, education graduates from UOPX - Arizona carry an average student debtload of $34,723.
Full Education at University of Phoenix - Arizona Report
Request Information
American College of Education came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Indianapolis, American College of Education is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Request Information
With a ranking of #11, Ball State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, education graduates from Ball State take out $25,653 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $287, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Education at Ball State University
Request Information
With a ranking of #12, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, education graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $26,324 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $195, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Education at University of North Carolina at Charlotte Report
Request Information
East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for education students. It came in at #13 on the list. ECU is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville.
Education majors at ECU take out an average of $25,827 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $279, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Education at East Carolina University
Request Information
Nova Southeastern University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Online Education Schools list. NUS Florida is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
Full Education at Nova Southeastern University Report
Request Information
Eastern Gateway Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Education Schools ranking. Eastern Gateway Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Steubenville.
Request Information
University of West Georgia ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Online Education Schools list. University of West Georgia is a fairly large public school located in the town of Carrollton.
Education majors at University of West Georgia take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $163, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Education at University of West Georgia
Request Information
With a ranking of #17, South Texas College did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of McAllen.
The average amount in student loans that education majors at South Texas College take out is $5,197.
Read full report on Education at South Texas College
Request Information
With a ranking of #18, Florida International University did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Miami.
On average, education graduates from FIU take out $18,963 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Education at Florida International University
Request Information
Valdosta State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Education Schools ranking. Located in the city of Valdosta, VSU is a public college with a large student population.
Education majors at VSU take out an average of $28,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $239, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Request Information
Kansas State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for education students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, education graduates from K -State carry an average student debtload of $25,043. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $225.
Request Information
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Education Schools ranking. BGSU is a large public school located in the town of Bowling Green.
After completing their degree, education graduates from BGSU carry an average student debtload of $24,526. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $275.
Read full report on Education at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Request Information
University of West Alabama came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Education Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Livingston, University of West Alabama is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Education at University of West Alabama Report
Request Information
Old Dominion University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for education students. It came in at #23 on the list. Old Dominion is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.
After completing their degree, education graduates from Old Dominion carry an average student debtload of $26,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $165.
Read full report on Education at Old Dominion University
Request Information
Rasmussen University - Florida ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Online Education Schools list. Rasmussen University - Florida is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the small city of Ocala.
On average, education graduates from Rasmussen University - Florida take out $23,144 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Education at Rasmussen University - Florida Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #25, Valley City State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the remote town of Valley City, Valley City State University is a public college with a small student population.
On average, education graduates from Valley City State University take out $25,803 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Education at Valley City State University Report
Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Most Popular Online Education Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Online Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 602 different United States education schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Online Education Schools award.
Most Popular Online Education by Region
View the Most Popular Online Education Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Education Rankings
Education Related Majors
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Majors Similar to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© 2025 Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.