Weights
The Five Factors and Their Weights
The weights add up to 100%. They are the same for every program and every list.
| Factor | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 30% | The online price per credit, compared with other programs at the same degree level. |
| Outcomes | 25% | How many students at the school finish, compared with other schools at the same degree level. |
| Online Flexibility | 20% | How much of the degree you can finish from home, on your own schedule. |
| Program Depth | 10% | How much hands-on and specialized work the program offers beyond core courses. |
| Track Record | 15% | How many students the school graduates from this field each year. |
Rubrics
How Each Factor Is Scored
Each factor becomes a score from 0 to 10.
Cost, 30%
Percentile of the per-credit rate a non-resident online student pays, lowest price scoring highest, inside the degree level. Quarter credits are converted to semester credits first.
- Uses the published online per-credit rate; in-state rates are shown but not scored
- Programs with no published rate score as if they cost more than most of their peers (the 25th percentile of the cost factor)
- Fees are noted on each review but not added to the rate
Outcomes, 25%
Percentile of the school's IPEDS graduation rate inside the degree level. Federal earnings data is reported by field, not by school, so earnings are not scored.
- Graduation rate is institution-wide, so programs at one school share it
- Schools with no IPEDS graduation rate score at the peer median
Online Flexibility, 20%
A rubric that starts from the delivery model and adds points for asynchronous classes, short terms, frequent starts and generous transfer credit. Capped at 10.
- Fully online starts at 6; online degree completion at 5; online with campus requirements at 3
- Plus 1 for asynchronous classes
- Plus 1 for terms of 8 weeks or shorter
- Plus 1 for 4 or more start dates a year
- Plus 1 for a generous transfer limit (bachelor's: 75 credits or more; master's: 9 or more; associate: 30 or more; doctoral: 12 or more)
Program Depth, 10%
A rubric that starts at 1 and adds points for concentrations, an internship or practicum, a thesis or research option, sourced standout features, and named labs or partnerships. Capped at 10.
- Scored only when the school published at least one of these details
- One or two concentrations: plus 2; three or more: plus 3
- Internship or practicum: plus 2
- Thesis or research option: plus 2
- Three or more standout features, each sourced to a school page: plus 2
- Named labs or partnerships: plus 1
Track Record, 15%
IPEDS completions per year in this field and degree level, on a log scale between the 5th and 95th percentile of the level. Schools with no completions data score at the peer median.
- Completions are summed across the in-scope CIP codes at the level
- A log scale keeps very large programs from swamping small ones
Rules
Scale, Peer Groups, and Missing Data
Each factor is scored on a 0 to 10 bar. The weighted total of those bars, times 10, is a program's raw score. The Online Program Score is shown relative to the top program at the same degree level: the leader scores 100, and every other program shows its raw score as a share of the leader's, to one decimal.
Programs are scored against other programs at the same level: bachelor's, master's, associate, doctoral and graduate certificate.
The Missing-Input Rule
A factor with no published data for a program is scored at the peer median at full weight and is not displayed, so a program cannot rise in the ranking because a number is unpublished. Cost is stricter: an unpublished price scores at the 25th percentile, as if the program costs more than most.
The No-Price Rule
A program with no published price cannot outscore the best program that does publish one.
Tie-Breakers
Ties are broken by the overall score, then Cost, then Outcomes, then program name.
Worked Example
A Score Worked Out Step by Step
The top-scoring online master's program with a measured input for every factor: The University of Texas at Austin.
| Factor | Score (0 to 10) | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost $333 per credit | 9.8 | 30% | 29.4 |
| Outcomes 89% of students graduate (school-wide, IPEDS) | 7.8 | 25% | 19.5 |
| Online Flexibility Fully online, 16-week terms | 6.0 | 20% | 12.0 |
| Program Depth 3 standout features | 3.0 | 10% | 3.0 |
| Track Record 174 Master's completions a year in this field (IPEDS) | 7.5 | 15% | 11.3 |
| Raw Score (Points Added Up) | 75.3 | ||
| Raw Score of the Top Program at This Level | 75.3 | ||
| Online Program Score (75.3 / 75.3 x 100) | 100.0 | ||
Each factor score times its weight gives the points, and the points add to the raw score of 75.3. The last step rescales it: the raw score is divided by the raw score of the top program at the same level (75.3) and multiplied by 100, which gives the published score of 100.0. Read the full The University of Texas at Austin review.
Data
Data Sources and As-Of Dates
Every figure on a ranking or review traces to one of these.
| Source | Used For | As Of |
|---|---|---|
| School program, tuition and admissions pages | Verified by our researchers in September 2026; each review links its sources. | September 30, 2026 to October 1, 2026 |
| IPEDS (U.S. Department of Education) | Graduation rates, enrollment and completions. | Extract loaded September 30, 2026 |
| BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 | Career and state wage figures. | May 2025 release, retrieved October 1, 2026 |
Verification
How We Verify Every Program
No program is scored from a third-party summary.
-
Read the School's Own Pages
Program, tuition, fee, catalog and admissions pages are read directly at the school.
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Record Each Fact With Its Source
Every figure is saved with the page it came from and a short exact quote.
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Check Federal Data
School data is matched against IPEDS, and pay figures against BLS.
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Re-Check Independently
A second pass re-reads the sources and confirms or corrects each record, with the audit date saved.
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Score and Publish
The formula runs on the verified record. Nothing is adjusted by hand, and no placement is sold.
120 of 120 programs carry an audit record. Each review lists the pages we verified and the date, under Sources.
Limits
What the Score Does Not Measure
Graduation rate is institution-wide, so programs at one school share it. Track Record reflects how many students finish this field each year, not how good the program is. Prices are the published online rate; fees are noted on each review but not scored.
Accreditation is not part of the score because AI degrees have no programmatic accreditor.