Georgia Southern University was recently recognized by Affordable Colleges Online (AC Online) for reasonably priced full-degree programs online.

The university is ranked 12 out of 30 listed accredited colleges and universities throughout Georgia, including Savannah State University, Georgia State University and University of Georgia.

The list is based on affordability but there are also other listings considered.  These include schools that attract women who are interested and continue to stay in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, people who look to make a career in social work and those interested in the study and expansion of education.

GSU ranked 4th, 10th and 4th respectively amongst those categories.

The AC Online website provides information collected from government databases about either colleges nationwide or within a specific state and the programs they offer.

Data gathered by analysts is collected from unbiased government sources, such as PayScale’s college earnings reports, census information and the Bureau of Labor statistics, Bryce Hall, head of AC Online partnerships, said.

“Offering students great online programs is only half the battle. The colleges on our list offer students quality, flexibility and affordability,” Dan Schuessler, founder and CEO of AC Online, said.

Previously, the college online option was dominated by for-profit colleges, especially the University of Phoenix and others like it, Hall said.

Online degrees seem to generally cater to the graduate students but also those who are not able to make it onto a physical college campus for classes.

“People know about the online option but are more skeptical of it. There’s a stigma of non-profit versus profit organizations,” Hall said.

After roughly ten years of for-profit universities and organizations dominating the online college scene, non-profit colleges and universities are partnering with other groups to build their own online programs.

Hall said, college online often gives students more flexibility in course options and provides a convenient possibility and setting for those who find it difficult to utilize the more traditional college experience.