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10 Online MBA Programs With the Most International Students

By U.S. News & World Report

The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.

International students can study anything from sociology to English literature at U.S. colleges, but many choose to study business.

Management, business and marketing are some of the most popular disciplines for international students, according to a 2014 report from the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit research organization. And because of the vast amount of online offerings from U.S. schools, students from abroad can log in without ever visiting the States.

At Madonna University in Michigan, 100 percent of students in its online MBA program during the 2013-2014 school year were not from the U.S. The program had the highest percentage of international students among 152 ranked institutions that submitted data to U.S. News in an annual survey.

[Weigh the benefits of an online MBA program that involves residency.]

Madonna’s program included just 54 students, all of whom were international. Some schools, however, had much larger enrollments for their online MBA programs and many more international students, although the percentage of international students was smaller.

Lynn University in Florida, for example, had 103 international students, who made up 24.4 percent of its online MBA student body. It is No. 4 on the list of online MBA programs with the most students from abroad.

At City University of Seattle, there were 231 international students — or 19.4 percent of the total number of online MBA candidates. The only West Coast school on the list, it came in at No. 6.

[Find out which online MBA programs cost the most for out-of-state students.]

Of the schools that had at least one international student, 15 institutions had less than 1 percent of their online MBA student bodies made up of students who were from abroad. Colorado Technical University had such a low percentage it rounded to zero. During the 2013-2014 school year, only one out of 2,405 students was international.

Three schools on the list were labeled RNP, meaning their programs’ overall scores put them in the bottom 25 percent of the online MBA rankings. U.S. News calculates numerical ranks for these schools but does not publish them.

Below is a list of the 10 online MBA programs with the most international students during the 2013-2014 school year. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

School (name) (state) Total enrollment Percentage of international students U.S. News rank
Madonna University (MI) 54 100% RNP
Andrews University (MI) 32 37.5% 114 (tie)
University of Bridgeport (CT) 45 26.7% RNP
Lynn University (FL) 422 24.4% 135
Missouri University of Science & Technology 46 21.7% 55 (tie)
City University of Seattle 1,189 19.4% 117 (tie)
Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) (PA) 29 17.2% 7 (tie)
Thunderbird School of Global Management (AZ) 215 16.3% 21 (tie)
Regent University (VA) 164 14.6% 78 (tie)
Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) 82 13.4% RNP

U.S. News surveyed 195 public, private and for-profit schools for our 2015 Best Online MBA Programs rankings. Schools reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of these survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Online MBA Programs rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. These data are specific to schools’ online MBA degree program offerings and have no influence over U.S. News’ Best Graduate Schools rankings assessing traditional business programs. The enrollment data above are correct as of Aug. 18, 2015.

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10 Online MBA Programs With the Most International Students originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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