Benjamin Franklin’s famed quote “Time is money” definitely applies to college where extra semesters of study cost more tuition bucks and months out of the workforce. That’s why accelerated programs are popping up across the internet to provide high-quality bachelor’s degrees online faster than the standard 48–60 months. Condensed online courses help adults realize baccalaureate benefits outlined by Lumina Foundation, including a $32,000 higher average annual pay, 24 percent better employment outlook, and 3.5 times lower poverty risk, with less wait time. Fast online schools minimize breaks for a year-round calendar that packs heavier course loads into a shorter span. Rigorous curricula in accelerated online degrees can be challenging, so nontraditional students should check their readiness to avoid the eye-opening 54 percent college dropout rate cited in The Atlantic.
Below we’ve compiled the 20 Fastest, High-Quality Bachelor’s Degree Programs Online for adults seeking shorter stints with the same career payoff. We began by using the NCES College Navigator database to narrow down non-profit bachelor’s colleges with distance education. Next, our list of 500+ online schools was cut based on the availability of accelerated courses of three to eight weeks. We sought degree completion programs accepting at least 60 transfer credits. Our focus was on traditionally simpler majors outside the STEM realm to ease the programs’ intensive nature. We double-checked that online colleges are regionally accredited, preferably with degree-specific professional accreditations. We also considered their years of experience, affordability, job placement, technology access, and faculty support to outline these 20 fast online bachelor’s offerings lasting under 24 months.
Here are our selections for the 20 Fastest, High-Quality Bachelor’s Degree Programs Online:
1. Saint Louis University
Online RN to B.S.N. Program
Saint Louis University, America’s 35th best online nursing school on the U.S. News & World Report, launched the Online RN to B.S.N. program that can take registered nurses just nine months full-time. Charging $640 per credit, the fast bachelor’s transfers all pre-nursing courses before the NCLEX-RN exam to require only 30 credits on Blackboard. The School of Professional Studies boasts 95 percent job placement after the eight-week online courses like Health Assessment and Public Health.
2. Champlain College
BS in Web Design & Development Online
Ranked America’s 12th best design school by The Princeton Review, Champlain College utilizes the Canvas LMS to deliver fast, seven-week courses costing $1,920 each for the BS in Web Design & Development Online. Tech-savvy adults with minimum of 2.5 GPAs enroll six times annually to quickly start studying Networking Fundamentals, Server Side Scripting, Ethical Hacking, and more. Champlain accepts up to 90 transfer credits for asynchronous, NEASC-accredited completion in as little as nine months.
3. Mercy College
Online B.S. in Organizational Management
On Blackboard, Mercy College earns the 13th spot on Crain’s New York Business list by putting the Online B.S. in Organizational Management into overdrive for graduation in only 12 months. Adults with 60–90 credits and at least five years of work experience take fast, four-week courses, such as Market Assessment and Managerial Behavior, with MSCHE accreditation one at a time. Cohorts, who pay $761 per credit, have excelled at Accenture, Bank of America, Charles Koch Institute, and others.
4. University of Louisiana — Lafayette
Registered Nurse to BSN Online
Affordably priced at $316 per hour, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette has America’s 203rd best nursing college according to the U.S. News & World Report for an expedient Registered Nurse to BSN Online. Starting five times yearly, the 30-hour, CCNE-accredited curriculum logs associate graduates into Moodle to advance clinical capacity in 12 months. More than 1,000 RNs have taken the speedy, seven-week courses, including Evidence-Based Practice, Nursing Leadership, and Community Health.
Learn more about the Fastest, High-Quality Bachelor’s Degree Programs Online at the University of Louisiana — Layfayette here.
5. Regis University
Online Bachelor of Applied Science
Declared America’s 22nd best college for adults in Washington Monthly, Regis University offers an average 15 percent ROI on an Online Bachelor of Applied Science that costs $470 per credit. The HLC-accredited program is designed for A.A.S. transfers to complete customized concentrations like Homeland Security, Management, or Interdisciplinary Studies in as few as 12 months. Online Regis courses on Moodle, including Computer Forensics and Leadership Principles, have fast, five-week formats.
6. Texas Woman’s University
RDH to BSDH Program Online
Texas Woman’s University, the ninth-best Southern bang for the buck in Washington Monthly, charges $219-$634 per credit for earning the RDH to BSDH Program Online fast. On Canvas, Registered Dental Hygienists with minimum “B” averages dive into non-clinical, CODA-accredited courses like Oral Health Worldview, Process of Dental Care, and Applied Research. By transferring 90 credits, full-time TWU students online can culminate study in 12 months with funding like the Bette Andrews Scholarship.
7. Neumann University
Online B.A. in Liberal Studies
Serving adults for 40+ years, Neumann University was ranked 234th nationally by the U.S. News & World Report for online bachelor’s programs like the B.A. in Liberal Studies with class sizes averaging 15. Accepting 90 transfer units, this MSCHE-accredited degree uses Moodle for highly individualized Catholic curricula costing $500 per credit. Attendees over age 21 pick their own fast, 7.5‑week liberal courses, such as Ideals in Conflict, Contemporary Human Problems, and Western History, for completion in one year.
8. Roberts Wesleyan College
Health Administration B.S. Online
Placed 191st nationally on the Social Mobility Index, Roberts Wesleyan College launched the Health Administration B.S. Online through its Adult & Graduate Division for hasty, standard completion in 15 months. The 37-credit, IACBE-accredited curriculum costs $20,239 total for associate graduates from clinical fields into five-week Blackboard courses like Bioethics and Interpersonal Relations free of exams. Job placement is 94 percent at St. John’s Home, Wellcare Health Plus, Strong Memorial Hospital, and more.
9. Walsh University
Online BBA in Marketing
Walsh University, America’s 58th best Catholic college on Niche, has six annual intakes for busy adults with up to 92 transfer credits to complete the Online Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing rapidly. Belonging to the AACSB Alliance, the program maximizes the $500 per credit spent for a median yearly salary of $127,560. Hopeful marketing managers could graduate in just 15 months after the School of Professional Studies’ eight-week ECN courses like Consumer Behavior and Promotion Management.
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Online Accelerated BSN Program
Valued in The Wall Street Journal’s top 25 percent, Gwynedd Mercy University has a 100 percent financial aid rate to help Online Accelerated BSN Program entrants afford the $810 per credit. The CCNE-accredited Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing created this 68-credit track for second-degree bachelor’s students seeking clinical jobs within 15 months. Drawing on 50 years of experience, the curriculum blends Blackboard and Bensalem courses from Genomics to Global Health and Nursing Care of Women for NCLEX-RN prep.
11. King University
Bachelor of Arts in English Online
Multiple starts year-round allow adults to earn the Bachelor of Arts in English Online fast from King University, America’s 35th best online and 177th top Christian school according to Niche. For $305 per credit, transfers to the College of Professional Studies with minimum 2.0 GPAs may complete the 48-credit, SACS-accredited major within just 16 months. Online Blackboard courses, including Contemporary British Literature, Grammar, Rhetoric, and Literary Imagination, lead to the Outcomes Assessment at King (OAK).
12. California Baptist University
Online Bachelor of Arts in Human Services
On Blackboard 9.1, California Baptist University provides America’s 23rd best online undergraduate study according to the U.S. News & World Report for a WASC-accredited Bachelor of Arts in Human Services. Transfers taking 12 units costing $566 apiece each eight-week session have an average completion rate of 16 months. The 42-unit major fosters Christian servant leadership with fast, practicum-optional courses like Social Justice, Family Violence, Group Dynamics, and Case Management.
13. Northwest Nazarene University
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Online
Northwest Nazarene University, a “College of Distinction” with America’s 52nd best standout academics on Niche, has accelerated an ACBSP-accredited Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Online via Canvas. This rigorous, 16-month curriculum prepares associate transfers for today’s globalized economy at $415 per credit. Cohorts simultaneously take two seven-week courses like Management Information Systems, Elementary Statistics, and Human Resources twice each semester with a 16:1 student-faculty ratio.
14. Rochester College
Online B.S. in Early Childhood Studies
Ranked America’s 98th best baccalaureate school by Washington Monthly, Rochester College launched the non-licensure Online B.S. in Early Childhood Studies for adults over age 20 with 3+ years of experience. The HLC-accredited program accepts up to 90 transfer credits to finish child development training in only 16 months. Online Moodle courses, including Emerging Language, Special Needs Children, and Family Advocacy, cost $396 per credit with speedy, eight-week sessions beyond Metro Detroit.
15. Simpson University
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Online
Presently priced at $519 per credit, Simpson University is America’s 180th best Christian college on Niche that created the Adult Studies ASPIRE Program to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Online. Starting with a brief Moodle orientation, the curriculum integrates 12 five-week courses, including Counseling Theories, Adult Development, Motivation, and Abnormal Psychology, from a Biblical perspective. Entering the fast, 16-month track will require at least 84 transfer credits graded “C” or higher.
16. Geneva College
Online B.P.S. in Public Relations
The Northeast’s 54th best value in Washington Monthly, Geneva College, awards the Online Bachelor of Professional Studies (B.P.S.) in Public Relations for $399 per credit. Grounded in Christian faith, the 36-credit major accepts a maximum of 84 transfer credits from regionally accredited schools for brisk completion in 16 months. Adults accessing MSCHE-accredited Moodle courses like Crisis Communication, Digital Media Design, and Special Events Planning can also join the Geneva PRSSA Chapter.
Learn more about the Fastest, High-Quality Bachelor’s Degree Programs at Geneva College here.
17. Antioch University Midwest
B.A. in Individualized Studies Online
Accredited by the HLC since 1927, Antioch University Midwest was ranked 138th nationally for liberal arts education by College Factual with a fast B.A. in Individualized Studies Online. For $350 per credit, transfers complete as few as 45 credits within eight self-designed concentrations like Humanities, Conflict Resolution, Creative Writing, Healthcare Administration, and Leadership for Change. Acceptance is currently 100 percent for easily work toward the capstone with Blackboard courses in just 18 months.
18. Indiana Wesleyan University
Online BS in Hospitality Management
Indiana Wesleyan University, America’s 59th best college on the Social Mobility Index, grants the Online BS in Hospitality Management with bimonthly starts for engaged cohorts of 12–18. Designed for adult transfers with minimum 2.25 GPAs, the 42-credit major can take just 18 months in the ACBSP-accredited DeVoe School of Business. Current costs are $432 per credit for seven-week courses like Tourism Development, Human Asset Management, and Quantitative Decision Making on Blackboard.
19. Florida State College at Jacksonville
Bachelor of Applied Science in Logistics Online
Ranked 11th countrywide for degree production in Community College Week, Florida State College at Jacksonville utilizes Blackboard Learn to confer the Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Logistics Online in just 20 months. Recognizing 90 transfer and CLEP credits maximum, the SACS-accredited program presently costs $104 in-state and $401 out-of-state per credit. Transfers spend five fast terms full-time tackling online courses like Supply Chain Technology and Distribution Management for APICS certification.
20. Thomas Jefferson University
Online B.S. in Law Enforcement Leadership
Partnered with Philadelphia University, Thomas Jefferson University caps cohorts at 15 for the Online B.S. in Law Enforcement Leadership as America’s 74th best college campus according to Niche. For $605 per credit, students transfer into a 22-month, MSCHE-accredited curriculum that accepts associate and police academy credits. Rolling admission helps begin eight-week TJU online courses, including Police Administration, Contemporary Criminal Justice, and Corrections, on Blackboard quickly.
How Can I Get a Bachelor’s Degree in 1 Year?
The first key to getting into fast-track online bachelor’s degree programs is starting with college credit. If you have your general education out of the way with an associate degree before enrollment, you’re halfway there.
Many schools also allow you to skip coursework based on competency exams. If you already know the material, you can place out of the class. Accelerated degree programs are designed for working adults already in the field, so work experience and life experience adds to online learning.
If you’ve completed certificate programs, you may also add those credit hours to your accelerated bachelor’s degree. That can bring your completion time down significantly, since a 9 or 12 credit certificate adds up to a whole semester’s worth of electives and less time in the classroom on-campus. Learners in online classes can finish in less than two years with all of these advantages.
Some of the best specialization degree options for a one-year online education undergraduate degree include human resource management, computer science, and information technology.
Related:
10 Fastest Online RN to BSN Programs
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Radiation Science
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Real Estate
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Environmental Science
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Legal Studies
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Actuarial Science
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Supply Chain Management
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Business Administration
10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Engineering Management
