2023 Best Online Colleges in Kansas

Fort Hays State University, a public institution, provides a choice among dozens of online bachelor's degrees, including programs in education that reflect the school's origins as a teacher's college. Some of the university's most popular programs include a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management degree and a Bachelor of General Studies with several possible concentrations. Fort Hays has a 91% acceptance rate for bachelor's students, 57% of whom graduate with their degrees.

The university uses the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) to deliver online courses. At 54%, part-time students form the majority at Fort Hays. About 36% of enrollees take an online-only course of study.

Wichita State University (WSU) is a public university with a range of online bachelor's degree options. The programs with the highest enrollments include a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (an RN-to-BSN track for current registered nurses), a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, and a Bachelor of General Studies degree-completion program for students with an associate degree. WSU accepts 80% of undergraduate applicants, and 50% of them graduate.

The university uses the Blackboard learning platform to host online courses. Twenty-one percent of WSU students are exclusively online, and 29% of students take a part-time course schedule. About 40% of WSU students are the first in their families to attend college.

The public Kansas State University (KSU) features many online bachelor's degrees to choose from. Programs in early childhood and elementary education have relatively high enrollments, as do the university's Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences and Industry and Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. The university has a 94% acceptance rate for bachelor's degree applicants, and the 62% graduation rate is higher than the national median rate of 57%.

Online learners at KSU sign in to the Canvas LMS to view coursework and submit assignments. Both part-time study and online learning are fairly uncommon among KSU enrollees: 90% of students take a full-time course schedule, and only 8% are exclusively distance learners.

Southwestern College - Kansas is a private school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that offers several online bachelor's degrees. Some of the more popular online options include degrees in business administration, criminal justice, and computer science and information systems. Courses last six weeks and there are eight terms per academic year. Southwestern accepts 56% of bachelor's candidates and graduates 45% of them with degrees.

The college uses the Blackboard LMS to deliver online courses, which are largely asynchronous. Forty-eight percent of Southwestern students take online courses exclusively. In addition, 44% of enrollees are part-time students.

The University of Kansas (KU) is a public institution that offers more than a dozen online bachelor's degree programs. Students can choose from popular programs such as the Bachelor of General Studies in Psychology degree and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree for current registered nurses. KU's acceptance rate is 91% for bachelor's degree programs, and its graduation rate is 64% for the same population.

The university is currently in the middle of an LMS migration from Blackboard to Canvas; by the fall of 2024, distance learners will sign in to Canvas to take online courses. More than half of all KU undergraduates take at least some online classes, though only 5% are exclusively online learners.