Online College Completion Rates 2026: 10 Schools Compared
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Run the ROI calculatorAmong 10 online-heavy schools, the share of students who earned a credential within eight years ranged from 52% at Western Governors University to 21% at Strayer University’s DC unit, in College Scorecard data released June 10, 2026. Graduates’ median earnings four years after finishing ranged from $54,301 to $87,445.
These are the schools that come up most often when working adults compare online programs: Western Governors, Southern New Hampshire, Liberty, Grand Canyon, Capella, Strayer (DC unit), DeVry (Illinois unit), ASU Online, University of Phoenix and Purdue Global.
Every figure below comes from the Department of Education’s institution file. We use one completion measure for all 10 schools and keep graduates’ earnings apart from all-student earnings, because mixing them is how most comparisons go wrong.
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Each Scorecard figure measures a different group of students
The Scorecard combines federal data sources, and each field covers its own group and years. Read the definitions before the numbers.
| Scorecard figure | Who it counts | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 8-year award rate | All entering students, including part-time and transfer students | Students who started in 2016-17 |
| Graduates’ earnings, 4 years after finishing | Graduates who received federal aid, working and not enrolled | 2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, in 2024 dollars |
| Earnings 6 years after entry | Everyone who enrolled with federal aid, finished or not | 2013-14 and 2014-15 entrants, measured 2020-21, in 2022 dollars |
| Median debt | Federal loan debt of students who completed | Completers in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 |
| Average net price | First-time, full-time undergraduates with federal aid | 2023-24 |
The cohort years come from the Scorecard data dictionary. Source · Scorecard data dictionary
The 8-year award rate is the fairer completion measure for adult-serving schools. The older first-time, full-time rate leaves out transfer and part-time students, who make up most of the enrollment at these schools.
WGU leads on completion; Strayer’s DC unit trails
Western Governors University is the only school of the 10 above half. Grand Canyon, Liberty and ASU Online sit in the mid 40s. Five schools are at 30% or below.
None of the 10 reaches the Scorecard’s midpoint for four-year schools, 59%. A low rate is also a cost to you: terms you pay for and don’t finish still use up Pell lifetime eligibility and add to your loan balance.
Strayer’s figure covers only its District of Columbia unit, which reported 156 undergraduates. Strayer runs many other campuses that report separately, so check the Scorecard page for the unit you would attend.
All 10 schools side by side
| School | 8-yr award rate | Graduates' earnings (4 yrs) | All students (6 yrs after entry) | Median federal debt | Avg net price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Governors University | 52% | $87,445 | $69,572 | $11,116 | $12,548 |
| Grand Canyon University | 45% | $74,343 | $47,280 | $22,114 | $22,472 |
| Liberty University | 44% | $57,700 | $39,707 | $24,500 | $29,357 |
| Arizona State University Online | 43% | $66,968 | $52,843 | $19,500 | Not published |
| Southern New Hampshire University | 35% | $67,139 | $41,945 | $21,082 | $36,708 |
| Capella University | 30% | $84,333 | $48,500 | $14,968 | $17,956 |
| DeVry University-Illinois | 28% | $63,172 | $42,178 | $24,807 | $30,770 |
| University of Phoenix-Arizona | 28% | $61,486 | $35,359 | $31,553 | $13,520 |
| Purdue University Global | 28% | $54,301 | $32,973 | $26,078 | $7,770 |
| Strayer University-District of Columbia | 21% | $68,449 | $36,582 | $40,621 | Not published |
Scorecard publishes no net price for ASU Online or for Strayer’s DC unit. For those two, use the net price calculator on each school’s website.
Graduates’ earnings and all-student earnings tell different stories
The 6-year figure counts everyone who enrolled with federal aid, including students who left without a credential. At a school where most entrants don’t finish, it mostly measures non-completers. It is also older: those students started in 2013-15.
The graduates’ figure answers a narrower question: what did people who finished earn four years later? For the 10 schools it runs from $54,301 to $87,445. The Scorecard midpoint for four-year schools is $60,377.
The gap between the two figures is widest at Capella ($84,333 for graduates, $48,500 for all students) and Phoenix ($61,486 against $35,359). A large gap means finishing matters a great deal at that school.
Median debt is under a year of graduates’ pay at all 10 schools
A simple test: divide graduates’ median federal debt by graduates’ median yearly earnings. It covers federal loans only, and the debt and earnings groups graduated in different years, so treat it as a rough guide.
| School | Median federal debt | Graduates' earnings (4 yrs) | Debt as share of pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Governors University | $11,116 | $87,445 | 13% |
| Capella University | $14,968 | $84,333 | 18% |
| Arizona State University Online | $19,500 | $66,968 | 29% |
| Grand Canyon University | $22,114 | $74,343 | 30% |
| Southern New Hampshire University | $21,082 | $67,139 | 31% |
| DeVry University-Illinois | $24,807 | $63,172 | 39% |
| Liberty University | $24,500 | $57,700 | 42% |
| Purdue University Global | $26,078 | $54,301 | 48% |
| University of Phoenix-Arizona | $31,553 | $61,486 | 51% |
| Strayer University-District of Columbia | $40,621 | $68,449 | 59% |
WGU’s graduates carry the lowest debt relative to pay in this group, at 13%. Strayer’s DC unit has the highest median debt, $40,621, or 59% of graduates’ yearly pay.
Default rates read 0% at all 10 schools
The Scorecard’s three-year default rate for all 10 schools is 0%. That figure covers borrowers who entered repayment in fiscal year 2022, measured in fiscal year 2024. When every school reads the same, the number cannot separate them, so we leave it out of the comparison.
Program-level data beats school averages
A school’s average blends every program it offers. The Scorecard also publishes outcomes by field of study. Here are online programs at schools in this comparison, from the same data.
| School | Program | Scorecard field | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt | Graduates, 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASU Online | MBA | Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | $141,437 | $47,828 | 199 |
| Western Governors University | MBA | Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | $98,950 | $13,165 | 4,366 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | BS Nursing | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (bachelor's) | $98,032 | $16,539 | 623 |
| Western Governors University | BS Nursing | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (bachelor's) | $97,114 | $9,470 | 7,786 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | MBA | Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | $95,086 | $44,643 | 3,485 |
| Liberty University | BS Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | $61,715 | $25,000 | 572 |
| ASU Online | BS Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | $59,973 | $20,151 | 238 |
| Capella University | MS Counseling | Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (master's) | $59,050 | $45,797 | 1,181 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data updated June 10, 2026. Earnings and debt cover every graduate of that field and credential at the school, online and on campus together, so they describe the school's graduates, not what any one student will earn. Earnings are the median for graduates working and not enrolled four years after finishing (2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates, in 2024 dollars); debt is the median federal loan debt of graduates (2018-19 and 2019-20); "Not published" means Scorecard suppresses the figure for a small cohort. Scorecard pages: ASU Online, Western Governors University, Southern New Hampshire University, Liberty University, Capella University.
At the program level, WGU’s and SNHU’s nursing graduates earn within about $1,000 of each other. The MBA figures differ more. That is the comparison that matters for your decision, so look up your exact program.
Five checks before you apply
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Look up your program, not just the school
On each school’s Scorecard page, open the fields of study and find your program and credential level.
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Compare the 8-year award rate
Use the same measure for every school. A low rate means more students leave with debt and no credential.
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Get your own net price
Run each school’s net price calculator, then check your federal and state aid with the aid check.
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Confirm accreditation and state approval
Search the school in the federal accreditation database. For nursing, teaching or counseling, ask whether the program meets your state’s licensing rules.
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Test the payback
Put the program’s cost and the job you want into the ROI calculator to see your break-even year.
Next step: price the program with your aid
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Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard data, institution file of June 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard data dictionary (field definitions and cohort years)
- College Scorecard: Western Governors University (UNITID 433387)
- College Scorecard: Southern New Hampshire University (UNITID 183026)
- College Scorecard: Strayer University-District of Columbia (UNITID 131803)
- U.S. Department of Education: Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
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