Best Affordable Online Elementary Education Degrees of 2026

Why We Chose It: MSU’s program is the only one on our list that includes a middle school education track.

While other programs on our list offer some middle school teaching experience, MSU’s elementary education degree offers concentrations on both early childhood and middle school. And it gives you the opportunity to earn two endorsements, specifically in the latter. 

Endorsements are added to a teaching certificate and indicate which subject areas and grades you are qualified to teach. Endorsements are not equivalent to a teaching certificate. However, they may boost your career choices once you graduate.

To earn the middle school endorsements, you must complete 18 credit hours in two of these academic areas: English, math, science, and social studies. 

What We Like About MSU

• MSU gets you working with students of different age ranges through three practicums and one internship in your junior and senior year.
• As a Yellow Ribbon school, MSU pays for remaining tuition not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• Once you earn your Mississippi teaching license you can apply for reciprocity and seek to obtain a license to teach in your home state.

What We Don't Like

• MSU has the highest tuition rate on our list at $436 per credit hour and an extra $25 instructional support fee per credit hour.
• Graduates of this program are not eligible to teach in Hawaii or Georgia.
• MSU requires at least 40 hours of work experience with children, making admission difficult for students transitioning to a teaching career without prior experience.

Why We Chose It: This program offers 10 concentrations to choose from, including early childhood and special education.

If you're a North Carolinian seeking an affordable education with plenty of options, UNCW's online elementary education program might be a great choice. It features 10 concentrations, giving you the most flexibility on our list to choose the subject you want to specialize in. These concentrations include some that are rarely offered by other schools, such as English as a Second Language, international studies, behavioral studies, and fine arts.

Additionally, if you’re particularly interested in online teaching, UNCW also offers an online teaching and learning minor where you'll learn how to develop curricula for digital environments in both synchronous and asynchronous formats.

However, a significant caveat is that you must be located within the southeastern region of North Carolina for field placement and internships. 

What We Like About UNCW

• UNCW has the cheapest in-state tuition on our list at just $211 per credit hour.
• In addition to 10 concentrations, the elementary education program also offers four options for a minor.
• Unique student opportunities include the Education Learning Community, an ambassador program for the College of Education, and study abroad.

What We Don't Like

• UNCW only pays for $1,000 in tuition not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and this benefit is offered to just 10 military and veteran students.
• This program is not available for out-of-state students and is limited to the southeastern region of North Carolina.

Why We Chose It: Students can save a year of school by combining their bachelor’s and master’s studies.

If you want to switch to a teaching career and want to do so fast, UND's accelerated bachelor's-master's program in education has you covered. 

This accelerated program condenses the typical four years for a bachelor's degree and the two years for a master's degree into a more intensive five-year program. You may want to pause your career or work part time, as UND requires you to take synchronous classes and cover more content in a shorter time frame.

What We Like About UND

• Over a third of UND's students are exclusively online and have access to free online tutoring, academic coaching, and a personal academic advisor.
• As an online student, you can network and show off your research at UND's Graduate Research Achievement Day and the College of Education & Human Development Research Conference.
• If you choose the non-accelerated bachelor's, all classes are asynchronous, allowing you to learn on your own schedule.

What We Don't Like

• UND's accelerated program courses are synchronous — that is, you’re required to log in at certain times — so it may not be the most compatible with some working professionals' schedules.
• The program is our second-most expensive on the list at $408 per undergraduate credit and $569 per graduate credit.

Why We Chose It: The University of Northern Iowa stands out for offering a fully online degree completion program that can be completed in two years.

Northern Iowa's online education degree program is designed for students who have completed some college coursework. Through the degree completion program, you could finish your bachelor's degree in about two years or faster, depending on how many transfer credits you bring to the program.

However, unlike some degree completion programs, Northern Iowa allows you to transfer in with a bachelor's degree in any field, which can considerably speed up your transition to a career in education.

If you already have a bachelor's degree, you can transfer in any number of credits; however, you must take at least 32 credits at Northern Iowa.

What We Like About Northern Iowa

• You have the option to earn Iowa K-6 Teacher Elementary Classroom, Literacy, Early Childhood, and Special Education endorsements.
• Learn with the same cohort of students throughout your educational journey.
• You may qualify for the renewable Online & Distance Education Scholarship for $1,000 per year.

What We Don't Like

• Northern Iowa isn't clear on the maximum number of credits you can bring into the program.
• You can only transfer in 65 credits from an associate degree.
• You must have completed (or be soon to complete) 10 hours in a K-12 classroom and have taken a children’s literature course to apply.