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GCC ranks 11th out of New York's 22 community colleges offering online learning

By Billie Owens

From SR Education Group:

Genesee Community College ranks number 11 among New York's 22 community colleges that offer an online associate degree or certificate, according to SR Education Group, which helps prospective students find the right online college.

Each community college was ranked by several important factors, including retention rate, graduation rate, percentage of online enrollment data, and the number of online associate degrees offered. SR Education Group also provides a manually researched tuition rate that is based on the college's website.

SR Education Group, a leading education research publisher founded in 2004, released the first-ever online community college rankings categorized by state last week.

In order to develop rankings, the organization only considered states with at least three regionally accredited schools offering at least one fully online associate degree. The rankings include a nationwide Best Overall Community College ranking and 38 state-specific rankings, featuring a total of 423 schools.

Each community college highlighted on the rankings lists received a score based on several important factors, including retention rate, graduation rate, and percentage of online enrollment data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The number of online associate degrees offered was collected from school websites and considered in the ranking score as well. All ranked schools scored 70 percent or higher. 

Since 75 percent of online college students live within 100 miles of their school’s campus, the 2019 Online Community College rankings by state are an especially valuable resource for prospective community college students. Many students may choose to stay in state because of tuition discounts, familiarity with the school, or flexibility for classes that may have hybrid, in-person requirements.

New York is home to 22 community colleges that provide opportunities to earn an online associate degree or certificate. Of the schools on this list, 19 cost less than $5,000 per year, including GCC, which typically averages $4,150 in yearly tuition, and they all cost less than $6,000 per year.

Students interested in a part-time, full-time, or accelerated-pace online learning program can earn an associate degree (10 options) or certificate (four options through Genesee Community College’s e-learning platform.

Many programs are 100-percent online; however, some are 75-percent and 50-percent online. Classes are conducted both synchronously and asynchronously. Communication with instructors is done via the internet, phone, and teleconferencing. Online students have access to presentations, labs, textbooks, video lectures, and online discussions. Degrees offered online include an AS in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Liberal Arts and Sciences.

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