Best Online Colleges in Alaska

The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is headquartered in Juneau with extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan. Through its School of Arts and Sciences, School of Career and Technical Education, and its oversight of the system wide Alaska College of Education, UAS accommodates approximately 3,000 students with programming in a diverse range of disciplines.

UAS, one of Alaska’s online colleges, provides students with access to a variety of academic programs and career and technical education via e-learning. Bachelor’s degrees are offered online in education, social science, business administration, and library arts. Of note is the BA in Social Science which has several concentrations, including history, political science, and psychology. The school uses a blend of e-learning delivery systems, including web, satellite broadcast, audio, or video conference. The school has a full complement of student services for online learners, such as admission counseling, faculty advising, UA site coordinators, tutoring resources, and online library resources.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is a public research university and a flagship campus of the UA system, with seven rural and urban campuses and online learning. UAF, with the beautiful last frontier as its backyard, serves about 11,000 students with its catalog of online offerings spanning the disciplines; the most popular undergraduate majors include general program/studies, biological sciences, petroleum engineering, and mechanical engineering.

UAF is one of the best online colleges in Alaska because of its extensive list of online bachelor’s degree offerings; these include the fields of accounting, business administration, education, interdisciplinary studies, and social work. Programs of note include the BA in Justice, in which students learn problem-solving conflicts regarding federal, state, and Native American issues; and the BA in Rural Development, in which students gain knowledge about the state’s cultural heritage, contribution to the global economy, and sustainable development strategies.

Tucked away on 175 acres in the forest among Anchorage’s trail system, is Alaska Pacific University (APU), a small private liberal arts and sciences university emphasizing experiential, hands-on instruction. Among its notables are academic rigor, applied research projects, developing students critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and student engagement.

APU has fewer than 800 students and is one of the online colleges in Alaska offering bachelor’s degree options: an accelerated BA to MBA and the BA in Counselling Psychology. Of note is their Accelerated MBA, in which students move directly from the BA program directly into the MBA, and classes can be taken entirely online. The school is affordable having implemented a 34% reduction in undergraduate tuition in a bid to ease student debt. Pell-eligible students can attend APU for free or at a much reduced tuition.