The Princeton Review Ranks the Top 25 Online MBA Programs for 2015

- UNC-Chapel Hill is #1, Indiana U-Bloomington #2, and IE (Madrid) #3

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May 12, 2015, 08:30 ET

NEW YORK, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com) today released its first annual ranking of b-schools offering the best online MBA programs. The list – which names the top 25 schools – is the first comprehensive ranking of online MBAs based on both surveys of administrators at the schools and of students attending the online MBA programs.

The company chose the schools based on its surveys in 2014 of 80 business schools offering online MBAs (at which 75% or more of their program was online), plus surveys of nearly 2,000 students enrolled in the programs. Data from surveys of graduates of the online MBA programs was also used.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School captured the #1 spot on the top 25 list. Indiana University-Bloomington's Kelley School of Business finished second. The IE Business School in Madrid came in third. The list of top 25 schools follows and is posted at www.princetonreview.com/online-mba along with in-depth profiles of the schools and advice for applicants.

The Princeton Review developed its survey methodology and criteria for this ranking based on input from editors of its annual Best 296 Business Schools guidebook (which includes b-school rankings in 11 categories), and an advisory board of administrators at several of the nation's leading b-schools. The criteria focused on five core areas: academics, selectivity, faculty, technical platforms, and career outcomes. Data points were weighted in more than 60 unique fields to determine the final ranking. A description of the methodology is at www.princetonreview.com/online-mba/top-25-methodology.

"Each of our top 25 schools offers a first-rate MBA online as well as on campus," said Robert Franek, Senior VP-Publisher, The Princeton Review. "Like highly-successful businesses, these highly-respected b-schools are serving their customers with innovative options. For working professionals unable to move to a 'brick and mortar' campus for an MBA, these schools offer an opportunity to learn from some of the world's best b-school professors and earn the degree from anywhere in the world."

Among noteworthy findings of The Princeton Review's survey of the nearly 2,000 online MBA students at the 80 b-schools:

47% of the students identified themselves as "career changers"
Asked why they chose their specific schools, the answer choices most selected were: reputation (85%), convenience (77%), field of study (38%) and price (34%)
86% rated the technology platform of their coursework as "excellent" or "above average"
93% reported they were "very" or "extremely" satisfied with their school choice

Among students surveyed at the top 25 b-schools:

42% were receiving financial assistance from their employers to pay for their degree: they reported their companies were covering 61% of the degree cost
44% reported receiving a promotion while earning their online MBA
$84,000 was the students' average base salary upon entering the program
94% believed obtaining the online MBA would have an impact on their career
25% was the average salary increase graduates reported they received after completing the degree

The Princeton Review's Top 25 Online MBA Programs 2015 are:

1. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2. Indiana University-Bloomington

3. IE University (Madrid, Spain)

4. Arizona State University (Tempe)

5. Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

6. University of Florida (Gainesville)

7. Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)

8. Thunderbird School of Global Management (Glendale, AZ)

9. The University of Texas at Dallas

10. Northeastern University (Boston)

11. James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA)

12. Auburn University (AL)

13. The University of North Dakota (Grand Fork)

14. University of North Texas (Denton)

15. Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)

16. The University of South Dakota (Vermillion)

17. University of Nebraska-Lincoln

18. Syracuse University (NY)

19. The George Washington University (DC)

20. North Carolina State University (Raleigh)

21. University of West Georgia (Carrolton)

22. State University of New York-Oswego

23. University of Memphis (TN)

24. University of Nevada, Reno

25. Washington State University (Pullman)

The number of accredited b-schools offering fully online MBAs has grown significantly in recent years. The leading b-school accrediting organization, the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, www.aacsb.edu), reported a 37% increase in the number of its member schools offering online MBAs from 68 schools offering them in 2008 to 93 schools in 2012.

The Princeton Review has published an annual Best Business Schools guide for 20 years: it has included business school ranking lists in the guide since 2005 (www.princetonreview.com/press/law-business-school-rankings). The company is also known for its annual rankings of graduate and undergraduate schools offering the best programs for entrepreneurship studies (www.princetonreview.com/press/top-entrepreneurial-press-release) and for game design studies. The company's annual rankings of colleges in dozens of categories appear on its site (www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/best-379-colleges) and in its books The Best 379 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading test preparation, tutoring, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The Princeton Review is headquartered in Natick, MA, and is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI). For more information, visit www.princetonreview.com and www.facebook.com/ThePrincetonReview. Follow the company's Twitter feed @ThePrincetonRev

WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com/online-mba

SOURCE The Princeton Review