Central Texas College (CTC) was recently ranked among the best online colleges on the Top Colleges List 2018-19 assessed by OnlineColleges.com. CTC was rated as the 13th best online college among all schools in Texas and the eighth best community college in the country. OnlineColleges.com collected data on more than 2,500 accredited colleges and universities from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and ranked them based on a variety of factors including affordability, student services and the availability of online programs.

OnlineColleges.com generated a list of colleges and universities meeting 14 criteria using the final 2015-16 data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the weights specified. These were: number of programs offered via distance education, ratio of students participating fully or partially in distance education to total enrollment, average in-state tuition for undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate students, total electronic library collections, including digital books, databases and media, graduation rate and retention rate.

Other factors used to determine the best online colleges list included the availability of academic/ career counseling services, the availability of job placement services for graduates, the availability of virtual reference services, whether the school offers dual credit, offers credit for life experience, offers advanced placement credit and offers credit for military training. The availability of tuition payment plans, a guaranteed tuition plan and other alternative tuition plans were also considered.

All schools were scored on a 10-point scale for each of these factors. Individual data point scores were then multiplied by their respective weights, and the scores were added together for a maximum possible score of 10 points. CTC received an overall rating of 91.01 which was the highest rating achieved by any community college in Texas as the top 12 schools were all four-year universities.

CTC offers more than 450 online courses and 55 degree programs which can be completed solely online. “We are continually looking to enhance the distance education or online experience for distance learners,” said Jim Yeonopolus, CTC chancellor. “We have added numerous degree programs in the past few years and can provide 24/7 technical support for students in need of assistance.”