Intelligent.com rates Radford among state's best online colleges, cites accelerated degree programs

A national higher education resource guide has included Radford University in its newly released review of Virginia's top online colleges for the upcoming year, with praise specifically targeted at the school's accelerated degree programs.

Intelligent.com, which provides program ratings and higher education planning, ranked Radford University in the upper end of its recent list, "Best Online Colleges in Virginia 2023."

"This recognition is an endorsement of the good work Radford's faculty and staff have done to put many of our important courses and entire programs online, making them more available to students with work or family obligations, regardless of their geographic location," Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Marten denBoer said.

The company's guide identifies top schools in the state based on tuition costs, the number of credits required to graduate and the online coursework delivery format.

The list itself derives from a methodology that ranks each institution from 1 to 100 across six categories, comparing each school according to tuition, admission, faculty, reputation and retention and graduation rates, as well as the resources provided for online students.

On that basis, Radford University was rated 94.69 out of 100.

Additionally, the website gave Radford its award for Best Accelerated Degrees.

"Some of its [Radford University's] remote programs are incredibly unique, like the Master of Fine Arts in Design Thinking, which can be completed in two years and prepares graduates for leadership roles in a variety of industries," editors for Intelligent.com wrote.

"The university also offers several degree-completion programs through its Davis College of Business and Economics that are intended for working professionals who already have an associate degree and are looking to earn a bachelor's degree quickly," it added.

Noting that Radford is one of Virginia's doctorate-granting public universities, Intelligent.com pointed out that three of its doctorates could be earned entirely online.