2027 Best Online College Degrees With Scholarship Options
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Choosing an online degree is hard enough before you have to work out which scholarships you can actually use. The decision matters: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 33% employment growth for information security analysts from 2023 to 2033, but that opportunity does not make every technology degree - or every tuition offer - a good fit. This guide compares degree fields, with a closer look at popular online master's options. It explains where to search for funding, what online study may require in person, and how to judge the cost you would pay against your career goal.
Key Things You Should Know
- The best option is the accredited online degree that fits your career goal, schedule, and cost after scholarships - not necessarily the field with the highest occupational wage.
- As a price benchmark, College Board reported average published tuition and fees of $11,610 for in-state students at public four-year colleges in 2024-25; online and graduate prices can differ substantially.
- Confirm scholarship eligibility and renewal rules alongside program delivery: an online nursing, teaching, or social work degree may still require local placements or other in-person work.
Top 10 Best Online College Degrees With Scholarship Options
Business Programs
Online MBA, accounting, finance, and management master's programs suit professionals seeking advancement or a change in business function. MBA admissions may consider work experience; accounting applicants should check prerequisite courses and state CPA education rules. Compare school-based merit awards, employer tuition assistance, and scholarships from relevant professional associations. An MBA is less compelling if you need a specific accounting qualification or cannot show how its cost supports your next career step.
Healthcare Programs
Online master's degrees in healthcare administration or public health can prepare students for management, policy, or population-health work. They are not substitutes for clinical licensure. Look for scholarships through the university, healthcare employers, and field-specific organizations, checking whether awards cover part-time study. Compare an MPH's public-health focus with an MHA's operational focus, and ask whether internships, scheduled classes, or prior healthcare experience are required.
Information Technology Programs
Online master's programs in information technology, cybersecurity, and information systems often emphasize infrastructure, security, or enterprise systems. Some accept career changers but require foundation courses. Institutional STEM awards, employer assistance, and cybersecurity scholarships may help; eligibility and any service commitment vary. Favor programs with practical projects and suitable technical prerequisites over a broad degree name alone. Security leadership roles commonly require experience beyond the master's.
Computer Science Programs
An online computer science master's typically goes deeper into algorithms, software, computing systems, or AI than a general IT degree. It can suit developers seeking specialized skills, while applicants without a computing background may need mathematics and programming prerequisites. Check departmental scholarships and employer support, then compare the cost of prerequisite courses. If your goal is an entry-level programming role, a master's may be more education than you need.
Nursing Programs
Online MSN programs may offer nurse education, leadership, or advanced-practice tracks. They normally require an RN license, and advanced-practice paths have distinct clinical, certification, and state licensure requirements. Campus-based scholarships, employer benefits, and service-linked awards may be available to eligible students. Ask who arranges clinical placements and whether they can be completed in your state. Online coursework does not mean the degree can be completed entirely from home.
Psychology Programs
An online master's in psychology can support research, behavioral-science, or related work, but a general psychology master's does not automatically qualify graduates for therapist or psychologist licensure. Those goals require checking the exact degree, supervised training, and state rules. Departmental awards and assistantships may exist, although assistantship duties can limit remote study. Choose a licensure-aligned counseling path instead if independent clinical practice is your aim.
Education Programs
Online M. Ed. programs serve teachers pursuing curriculum, instructional design, or leadership roles; initial teacher-licensure programs follow different rules. School scholarships, district reimbursement, and eligible TEACH Grants may reduce costs, but grants can carry service obligations. Confirm whether the program meets your state's credential requirements and whether student teaching, school-based projects, or live sessions fit your schedule. An online degree from another state may not meet local licensure rules.
Criminal Justice Programs
Online criminal justice master's programs commonly cover policy, administration, and research for experienced public-service professionals. Agency tuition assistance and university scholarships may be more relevant than awards tied to a particular job title. Check whether the curriculum matches your intended role: a master's does not replace law enforcement hiring standards, academy training, or legal education. Compare program cost with the qualifications your target employer actually requests.
Engineering Programs
Online engineering master's degrees offer technical specialization or engineering-management study, often for applicants with substantial mathematics and engineering preparation. Funding may come from employers, departments, or discipline-specific scholarships, though research assistantships may require on-campus work. Verify laboratory or residency requirements before assuming a program is fully remote. If professional engineer licensure matters, check your state board's education and experience rules rather than assuming a master's alone qualifies you.
Social Work Programs
Online MSW programs prepare students for social work practice, but field placements are ordinarily completed in person. Eligible BSW graduates may find advanced-standing pathways with different admission and completion requirements. Compare institutional aid, employer support, and service-linked funding against placement-related travel or reduced work hours. For clinical practice, confirm program accreditation, state licensure eligibility, supervised-experience requirements, and who secures placements near you.
What Are the Best Online College Degrees With Scholarship Opportunities?
The best online college degrees with scholarship opportunities are not a fixed ranking. Business, healthcare, IT, computer science, nursing, psychology, education, criminal justice, engineering, and social work each offer potential funding, but awards are usually tied to an institution, department, applicant profile, employer, or service commitment - not guaranteed by the major.
Match the field to the work first. A licensed RN considering an MSN has a different starting point from a career changer considering computer science. Students comparing income potential can review what majors make the most money, then check whether the occupation actually requires the degree level they plan to pursue. A high wage in an occupation is not evidence that a particular program's graduates earn it.
The comparison below shows which degree families fit common goals and which funding or completion issue deserves extra scrutiny. It includes undergraduate and graduate paths because eligibility changes with degree level.
| Degree family | Best-fit goal | Check before applying |
| Business or IT | Change functions or build specialized skills | Employer benefits, prerequisites, and project work |
| Nursing, education, or social work | Enter or advance in a regulated profession | License rules, placement location, and service-linked aid |
| Computer science or engineering | Develop technical depth | Math prerequisites, labs, and departmental funding |
| Psychology or criminal justice | Pursue a defined practice or public-service goal | Whether the degree meets the target role's requirements |
Start with the prospective school's financial aid office and academic department. Ask for scholarships available to your exact online program and degree level, then check professional associations, community foundations, employers, and relevant state agencies. An award advertised for a field may exclude graduate students, part-time students, or distance learners.
Use this sequence to avoid spending time on awards you cannot receive:
- Complete the FAFSA for schools you are considering and review each school's aid offer; federal grant and loan eligibility is different from scholarship eligibility.
- Search each department's and financial aid office's scholarship listings, confirming application dates, enrollment minimums, and whether online students qualify.
- Ask your employer about tuition assistance and check whether an award requires post-graduation service or repayment if you leave the profession.
- Compare renewable awards by their GPA, credit-load, and reapplication requirements before treating them as funding for the whole degree.
Legitimate scholarship applications should make eligibility and award terms clear. Be wary of offers promising an award in exchange for an upfront fee.
Online degrees can be accredited and eligible for federal financial aid, but neither status follows from the word "online." Verify that the institution holds accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and that the specific program is eligible for the aid you intend to use. Federal student aid also depends on the student's individual eligibility and enrollment.
Programmatic accreditation matters most when a profession or credentialing body expects it. For example, check social work accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education and nursing program accreditation requirements relevant to your intended license or employer. Ask the school to identify the accrediting body and explain how the specific online track meets requirements in your state. Scholarships can impose narrower rules than federal aid, so verify them separately.
Technology and healthcare offer several promising paths, but a growing occupation should guide questions - not dictate a major. BLS projects 33% growth for information security analysts from 2023 to 2033. That supports investigating cybersecurity preparation, yet analysts commonly need relevant technical experience; an online degree by itself is not a job offer.
Computer science can support software roles, nursing leads toward roles with licensure requirements, and education or social work may fit public-service demand. If location flexibility is central to your decision, compare degrees for remote jobs with actual job postings: studying online does not mean the resulting occupation is remote. Check entry-level qualifications and local hiring conditions before borrowing for a specialized master's.
Undergraduate applicants typically submit prior school records; some programs have separate major admission or prerequisite requirements. Master's applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and transcripts, and may also need prerequisite courses, recommendations, a statement of purpose, professional experience, a current license, or a portfolio. GPA and test policies vary by program - do not apply a university's general admission policy to every graduate track.
For an MSN, verify RN-license and clinical-track requirements. For engineering or computer science, ask which mathematics and programming courses must be completed before entry. If your goal is independent research rather than professional advancement, consider whether a PhD online pathway is more appropriate, while checking its research and residency expectations. Request a written evaluation of transfer credits or advanced standing before relying on an advertised completion timeline.
An online bachelor's commonly requires about four years of full-time study from the start; a master's often takes roughly one to three years, depending on credits, enrollment intensity, prerequisites, and fieldwork. Accepted transfer credits can shorten an undergraduate path. An advanced-standing MSW, by contrast, requires qualifying prior education and is not an option for every applicant.
Published tuition is only a starting point. College Board's 2024-25 national averages below are undergraduate institutional benchmarks, not quoted online or master's prices. They show why you should request a program-specific estimate before comparing scholarship offers.
| Institution type | Average published annual tuition and fees, 2024-25 | Limitation |
| Public four-year, in-state | $11,610 | Not a master's price or the amount every online student pays |
| Private nonprofit four-year | $43,350 | Not a net price after grants or scholarships |
Ask each school for the credits you would need to finish, tuition by credit or term, mandatory fees, and any clinical, travel, or residency costs. Subtract only aid you are eligible and likely to keep. A list of cheap online colleges can help you begin a search, but a lower sticker price may lose its advantage if fewer credits transfer or required fees are higher.
Coursework should match the role you want, not merely sound current. Business students may take accounting, strategy, and analytics; IT students may study networks and security; computer science students commonly encounter algorithms and software systems. Nursing, education, and social work add practice-focused courses that may connect to clinicals, school placements, or field education.
Compare the catalog's required courses, electives, and culminating project with your existing preparation. A thesis may suit research goals, while a practice-based capstone may suit professional work. Ask whether labs, examinations, live meetings, internships, and placements can be completed where you live; "online courses" does not settle that question.
Occupational pay can help test whether a degree's cost is reasonable, but these figures describe U.S. workers in the occupation, not starting salaries or earnings caused by an online degree. The BLS 2024 median annual wages below also include workers with different experience and credentials.
| Occupation | 2024 median annual wage | Important qualification |
| Software developer | $133,080 | Employers assess programming ability and experience; a master's is not generally required for entry. |
| Information security analyst | $124,910 | Relevant computing experience is commonly important. |
| Registered nurse | $93,600 | Requires state licensure; an MSN is not required for every RN position. |
To judge outlook, pair BLS occupational projections with job postings in your area and the role's entry requirements. Do not compare a master's price with a senior occupation's median wage as though that wage will follow graduation. Account for debt, time out of work, and any additional certification or supervised practice.
How Should Students Choose a Reputable Online College Degree Program?
Choose a reputable program by asking whether it clears three hurdles: recognized accreditation, a workable path to completion, and a price you can manage after realistic aid. Then compare the curriculum and outcomes against the exact career you want. Rankings and scholarship advertisements cannot answer those questions for you.
Before you commit, request written answers about program-specific scholarships, renewal conditions, transfer evaluations, total required credits, mandatory fees, course scheduling, and in-person obligations. For licensed careers, confirm state eligibility with the appropriate licensing board rather than relying only on general admissions advice. Red flags include unclear accreditation, a refusal to itemize costs, and promises of a job or salary. If a shorter certificate or employer-funded training meets your goal, a full degree may not be the better purchase.
Other Things You Should Know About
Sometimes. Schools and donors set their own rules, so confirm that the award covers your online program, degree level, and enrollment load.
Generally, no. Pell Grants are primarily for eligible undergraduates. Graduate students should check institutional scholarships, employer benefits, and other aid for which they qualify.
No. A program may deliver classes online but still require clinicals, student teaching, field placements, labs, or a residency. Ask where and when each requirement occurs.
Yes, scholarship money can be taxable if it pays for room, board, travel, or other nonqualified expenses. Tuition, required fees, books, and course supplies are usually tax-free when the scholarship is used for a degree at an eligible institution.
- Cost of Attendance (Budget) | 2025-2026 Federal Student Aid Handbook https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2025-2026/vol3/ch2-cost-attendance-budget
- Choosing a School | Federal Student Aid https://studentaid.gov/resources/prepare-for-college/students/choosing-schools
- Excelsior Scholarship Program - HESC - NY.gov https://hesc.ny.gov/find-aid/nys-grants-scholarships/excelsior-scholarship-program
- Accreditation in the U.S. | ed.gov http://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation/accreditation-in-the-us
- Undergraduate GPA/Credit Requirements for Financial Aid | Northwest University https://www.northwestu.edu/financial-aid-undergraduate/gpa-credit-requirements
- Scholarship Timeline | hacc.edu https://www.hacc.edu/Paying/TypesofAid/Scholarships/scholarship-timeline.cfm
- Grants | The Office of Financial Aid at UTD | UT Dallas https://finaid.utdallas.edu/aid-programs/grants/
- New York State Scholarships - The City University of New York https://www.cuny.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/new-york-state-scholarships/
- KU Graduate Funding | Scholarships, Assistantships & Aid https://gradapply.ku.edu/afford/funding
- Financial Aid Timeline for Prospective Undergraduates | ucsd.edu https://fas.ucsd.edu/applying/undergraduates/timeline-prospective-undergrads.html
