The University of Illinois Springfield’s online bachelor’s degree programs have been ranked 29th best in the country (out of 358 institutions) by U.S. News and World Report. The 2022 rankings put UIS among the top 10 percent of best online bachelor’s degree programs in the United States.
The UIS online bachelor’s degree in psychology was ranked 13th best in the nation out of 55 institutions (up 23 percent from 2021) and the online bachelor’s degree in business administration was ranked 17th best in the nation out of 288 institutions. In the Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans category, UIS was ranked 18th out of 101 institutions.
UIS’ online master’s degree programs were also ranked highly by U.S. News and World Report. The management information systems (MIS) online master’s degree was ranked 63 out of 193 in the non-MBA business category, while the UIS online master’s degree in education was ranked 120 out of 322 degrees.
“UIS has a long history of high-quality online programs that dates back over 20 years. We are pleased to have our programs recognized by the U.S. News & World Report rankings,” said Vickie Cook, acting UIS associate provost for enrollment management and associate vice chancellor for online, professional and engaged learning. “The alumni of our online programs are proud graduates of UIS and appreciate their education and the career and life opportunities they have been afforded.”
In evaluating the best online bachelor’s degree programs, U.S. News & World Report assessed schools in four general categories including engagement – promoting student participation in courses and interaction with instructors and classmates; service and technologies – incorporating diverse online learning technologies allowing greater flexibility for students to take classes from a distance; faculty credentials and training – employing instructors with academic credentials that mirror campus-based programs; and expert opinion – a survey of high-ranking academic officials.
U.S. News selects factors, known as ranking indicators, to assess each program in the categories outlined above. A program's score for each ranking indicator is calculated using data that the program reported to U.S. News in a statistical survey and a peer reputation survey.
UIS offers 15 online bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, communication, computer science, communication, English and modern languages, history, information systems security, liberal studies, management information systems, mathematical sciences, philosophy, political science, psychology, public and nonprofit administration and teacher education. UIS also offers 17 graduate programs and 15 graduate certificate and licensure programs online.
As of the Fall Semester 2021 census, UIS had 1,496 online majors. UIS online majors reside in 47 states and 19 foreign countries. In the fall, 3,199 out of 3,944 total UIS students took at least one online class (81.1%).