Here’s how these local universities ranked for their online degree programs

A handful of local universities and colleges were ranked for having some of the best online degree programs in the nation.

The annual rankings were published in a new report by media and analysis company U.S. News & World Report. The company has been sharing rankings for online degree program for the past eight years.

For undergraduate and graduate online degree programs, U.S. News & World Report assessed colleges and universities based on four categories that make up a specific scoring percentage:

• Engagement — 35%
• Services and tech — 25%
• Faculty credentials and training — 20%
• Expert opinions from surveys of high-ranking academic officials — 20%

Scores were calculated using data that colleges and universities shared about their online degree programs with U.S. News & World Report in an annual survey.

Out of 353 institutions, here’s how schools from D.C., Maryland and Virginia ranked for best online bachelor’s degree programs:

• George Washington University — #20
• Old Dominion University — #73
• Gallaudet University — #192
• Radford University — #258

Of the 96 schools ranked for best online master’s in engineering programs, DMV schools were represented more frequently in the top 20:

• Virginia Tech — #10
• Johns Hopkins University — #13
• George Washington University — #15
• University of Maryland–College Park — #18
• University of Virginia — #32
• Old Dominion University — #51
• Virginia Commonwealth University — #51
• George Mason University — #65

In other recent rankings, two D.C. area universities were also honored on a list published by Online Schools Center of the 30 Most Technologically Savvy Online Schools in 2020.

Online Schools Center is a web publication that shares information and tools for students looking to advance their academic careers. To compile this particular list, Online Schools Center surveyed U.S. colleges and universities with online tech programs and ultimately ranked the top 30. The organization pulls data from the National Center for Education, official college and university websites and other college ranking sites such as U.S. News & World Report to compile its lists.

Johns Hopkins University, based in Baltimore, came in at #27 on the list and D.C.-based George Washington University came in at #30 on the list.

Colleges and universities were considered based on their tech resources, including tutors, support services, advisors and their ability to combine online tech with classroom teaching, the organization said in a press release. Communications tactics, like webinars, teleconferencing and message boards, were also assessed for consideration.