Reviewing the Top Online Colleges

Rankings of the top online colleges in the United Nation in order to select the top online accredited degree for your career.

	University of Phoenix - Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's & Doctorate Degrees. With a diverse group of students attending University of Phoenix, degree programs are offered in a variety of fields to fit everyone's needs and desires. University of Phoenix is an accredited university with classes available on campus or online.
	Kaplan University - Associate's, Bachelor's, & Master's Degrees. Kaplan University has been able to find the perfect blend for students seeking an online degree or a degree in a classroom setting. At Kaplan University, degree programs are designed uniquely to fit the needs of a working adult.
	American InterContinental University Online - Associate's, Bachelor's, & Master's Degrees. American InterContinental University has assisted students in reaching and devloping meaningful career skills in advance of entering the industry. At AIU, students will be taught by a well respected faculty with years of experience in their field.
	Ashford University - Associate's, Bachelor's, & Master's Degrees. Ashford University's degree programs are available to anyone who has access to the internet. With this convenience, Ashford makes it easy for students seeking to start a new educational challenge.
	Everest University - Associate's, Bachelor's, & Master's Degrees. Everest University offers the highest quality undergraduate and graduate level degrees currently available to take online. Everest offers degrees in a variety of high growth industries that need college graduates to fill current open positions.
	Colorado Technical University - Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's & Doctoral Degrees. Colorado Technical University makes it easy to start a college at any time and entirely online. CTU offers a number of quality degrees online that are accredited.
	Liberty University - Associate's, Bachelor's, & Master's Degrees. Liberty University offers a dynamic curriculum that students will find very helpful in the college career. At Liberty, students are immeresed in a Christian community that assists students graduate quickly and easily.
	DeVry University - Associate's, Bachelor's, & Master's Degrees. DeVry University assists working adults go back to college to start their college education or continue it. DeVry University offers affordable degree plans for students seeking to go back to school on a budget.
	Strayer University - Associate's, Bachelor's & Master's Degrees. Learners of all ages can go back to school at Strayer University and get the college degree they have been longing for. At Strayer, students will receive a first rate education by a well respected faculty and staff.

Deemed Universities de-recognise count 44

The HRD ministry has decided to de-recognize as many as 44 "deemed universities", spelling uncertainty for nearly two lakh students who are enrolled with them. The ministry's decision amounts to an acknowlegement of irregularties in conferring the "deemed" tag to these institutions under the first UPA government in which Arjun Singh was the HRD minister.

 

The 44 "deemed" universities, including one promoted by I&B minister of state S Jagathrakshakan, three government-sponsored ones, and some in the NCR, such as Manav Rachna, Shobit and Santosh, are spread across the country. These deemed universities were found deficient on many grounds -- ranging from lack of infrastructure to lack of evidence of expertise in disciplines they claim to specialize in.

The big step, as reported first by TOI, was taken after clearance from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and is also an indictment of the manner in which the "deemed" status was doled out during the tenure of the last HRD minister, Arjun Singh. Although the list includes many that were given deemed status during Murli Manohar Joshi's time, the list of those red-pencilled indicates how during Arjun Singh's tenure, the "deemed" status was virtually up for grabs.

The HRD ministry emphasized that the affected students would be taken care of. The ministry's task force has recomended that institutions not found fit for deemed university status "revert to status quo ante as an affiliated college of the state university of jurisdiction so that students would be able to complete their ongoing courses and obtain degree from the affiliating university." Similarly, medical and dental colleges not found suitable can affiliate to state university or state medical university.

In case, the institution is unable to obtain affiliation, efforts would be made to facilitate the migration/re-enrolment of the affected students in other institutions. Doctoral students will have to re-register in affiliating universities and those in distance education should either go to IGNOU or state open universities. While these safeguards have been recommended, the students are nonetheless likely to go through a phase of uncertainty as they move from one university to another.

In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court in the Viplav Sharma vs Union of India case, the HRD ministry said the review committee found only 38 institutes fit to have the deemed university status. Another 44 were found "deficient" in some aspects which need to be rectified over the next three years. With Supreme Court likely to approve HRD's action, it is unlikely that government will have to face any litigation.

These 44 deemed universities have 1,19,363 students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition, there are 2,124 students pursuing research at MPhil and PhD levels and another estimated 74,808 students pursuing distance education programmes. As many as 41 of the 44 deemed universities have several constitutent institutions under them, which would further swell the number of affected students.

Tamil Nadu has the distinction of having 16 of the 44 derecognized deemed universities, 15 of them private and one government-sponsored. Among those found undeserving of deemed status in Tamil Nadu is Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research -- with six constituent institutions -- run by S Jagatharakshakan, MoS information & broadcasting.

Karnataka has six derecognized deemed universities; Uttar Pradesh four; Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Maharashtra three each; Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, one each. The three government-run institutions to be de-recognized are Nava Nalanda Mahavira in Bihar, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Tamil Nadu, and National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi.

The HRD ministry's review committee found following glaring omissions in case of 44 deemed universities:

* Undesirable management structure where families rather than professional academics controlled the functioning
* Several institutions had violated the principles and guidelines prescribing excellence in teaching and research and were engaged in introduction of thoughtless programmes
* Little evidence of noticeable efforts in case of emerging areas of knowledge
* Little evidence of commitment towards research
* Institutions increased their intake capacity disproportionately
* Undergraduate and post-graduate courses were fragmented with concocted nomenclatures
* Higher fee structure than prescribed