Best Affordable Online Business Administration Degrees of 2025

You need to consider more than the sticker price when looking for an online business bachelor’s degree that will pay off.

Our ranking does just that. We go beyond the tuition cost to look at student outcomes, including the graduation rate and the average loan payment as a proportion of graduates’ salary, according to federal data.

We also weigh a school by its net price after aid rather than just its stated tuition, so you’ll have a better idea of the actual financial commitment of the program you choose.

How We Measured Student Satisfaction: We partnered with College Pulse to bring you data from students themselves on the schools on our list. The data and reviews aren’t part of our ranking methodology.

The yearly tuition of a degree isn’t the only metric you should look at when it comes to affordability.

A degree’s tuition usually doesn’t reflect the actual price you’ll pay after aid. Some schools might actually be a more affordable option after federal, state, and school-level aid are applied despite having a higher price tag on paper.

And affordability isn’t just about the price: If a school has a low graduation rate or poor employment outcomes for its graduates, it might cost you more in the long run in terms of lost return on investment (ROI).

Where you want to work could also be a consideration in which affordable business administration program you choose.

A 2025 Graduate Management Admission Council report found that global employers value online degree programs — which tend to be more affordable — equally to in-person programs. The only region that disagreed was the U.S.

An online business degree is generally more affordable than a traditional in-person program.

The 2020 average annual net price for an online business degree was $4,256, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). That’s below the average net price of an on-campus degree at $6,586.

Both of these net price figures are after aid is applied. Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see what federal and state aid you qualify for is key to reducing the cost of your degree.

Program format isn’t the only thing affecting the price of a degree. Prestigious private institutions tend to be more expensive than regional public schools. Whether you choose an in-state or out-of-state school can also affect the price you pay — even for an online degree.

Getting a return on your investment is never a guarantee, but business graduates generally fare better than their peers.

The average starting salary for 2023 business bachelor’s graduates was $66,578, according to the latest available data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). That’s slightly higher than the $63,721 average starting salary for all bachelor’s graduates.

Where business graduates really shine, however, is in their employment rate. At 74.6%, they had a much higher overall employment rate than the 62.1% of all bachelor’s graduates, according to NACE.

That isn’t surprising, given that business schools have spent the last year overhauling their curriculums to respond to employer demands for artificial intelligence (AI) education. Business schools have increasingly incorporated high-demand tech skills, like AI and analytics, into their core curriculums in recent years.

Filling out the FAFSA is your first step to reducing the cost of college. It can determine if you are eligible for federal grants, which don’t have to be paid back, and federal loans, which have income-driven repayment options.

The FAFSA is also commonly used by state governments and individual schools to determine your eligibility for additional scholarships.

Community colleges have long been an affordable pathway to a four-year degree, and, in many states, tuition at community colleges is free.

You can generally earn a two-year associate degree from a community college before transferring to a four-year institution. Many community colleges even partner with four-year universities to create a student pipeline.

Those degrees generally cover the general education requirements of a four-year degree, meaning you can get right into specialized, degree-specific courses when you transfer.

Community colleges are on average much more affordable than four-year schools, so starting at a community college can cut down the total cost of your degree.

Some colleges offer credit for life and work experience, meaning your past work can help you skip some of a degree’s required courses.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) allows you to demonstrate equivalent professional experience to earn college credit rather than taking classes. That can include professional credentials, corporate training programs, and military service.

Some schools also offer prior learning assessments like the College-Level Exam Program (CLEP) that allow you to showcase your knowledge and test out of certain classes.

Some schools offer entirely free tuition to qualifying students.

For example, the University of California (UC) system — including UC Berkeley, a top undergrad business school — offers free tuition to in-state students from families making under $80,000. Other schools, like the University of Olivet, offer free tuition to all students.