Rankings / Online
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Data Science
CollegeRanker Research
What Surprised Us Most
Median graduate earnings across these 50 schools run from $27,981 to $102,772 — a 3.7× gap that shows the category label alone tells you little about payoff.
University of Florida-Online delivers the most per dollar: roughly $71,588 in median earnings against $4,815 a year in net price — the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio on the list.
The most affordable option, University of Florida-Online ($4,815 net price), still posts $71,588 in earnings — at or above the list average, proof that paying more doesn't guarantee a better outcome.
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus graduates 93% of its students versus a 43% average across the list — completion, not selectivity, is the clearest sign a degree actually gets finished.
Western Governors University carries the healthiest debt load, with graduates owing just 0.18× their annual earnings.
Surprising Comparisons
- #1 University of Florida-Online ($71,588 earnings) outranks the list's highest earner, Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus ($102,772) — because it does more on mobility and cost.
- University of Florida-Online costs $4,815 a year and Southern New Hampshire University costs $36,708 — yet their graduates earn $71,588 and $50,318, nowhere near the $31,893 price gap.
- Dollar for dollar, University of Florida-Online beats Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus: comparable career payoff at a fraction of the net price.
The Takeaway
The through line among the top-ranked schools is clear: they combine solid graduate earnings with affordable costs and meaningful social mobility. Prestige and selectivity matter far less than whether students end up better off.
What This Means for Students
Your shortlist should start with University of Florida-Online and Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus. For each school, look up the net price your family would actually pay, weigh it against typical graduate earnings, and build your decision around the return — not the name recognition.
At a Glance
How the Top Schools Compare
| School | Earnings | Net Price | Graduation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 University of Florida-Online #1 overall | $71,588 +38% vs avg | $4,815 | 81% | 100 |
| 2 Western Governors University #2 overall | $60,615 +17% vs avg | $12,548 | 48% | 100 |
| 3 University of Arkansas Grantham #3 overall | $63,496 +22% vs avg | $8,370 | 32% | 100 |
| $61,289 +18% vs avg | $17,550 | 39% | 100 | |
| $66,479 +28% vs avg | $10,864 | 22% | 100 |
Score uses our 4-pillar methodology. Earnings % is vs. this list's average.
See full ranking →Key Findings
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Data Science
Strongest Earnings-to-Cost Ratio: University of Florida-Online (Net Price: $4,815 | Graduation Rate: 81%)
Strongest Completion Outcomes: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (93% completion rate)
Highest Earnings Generator: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (Median alumni earnings: $102,772)
Research Note
The most expensive quartile of colleges costs 373% more than the most affordable — but their graduates earn just 34% more.
Why this ranking matters
Technology is one of the higher-return fields in the economy — but the payoff depends heavily on where you study it. Graduates of these programs earn a median of about $50K within a decade, and data scientist roles are projected to grow 36%. We rank programs by the outcomes they produce for graduates, not by reputation.
How we measure this — full methodology →How we rank · 4 pillars
Federal-source data only. Build your own weighting →
Technology Workforce Analysis
What does this ranking tell us about the technology workforce?
$49,372
Median earnings (10yr)
41%
Median graduation rate
$15,112
Median net price
2.0%
Avg. mobility rate
Computing, data, and information-systems programs train for one of the highest-paying and fastest-moving corners of the labor market. Starting salaries are strong, hiring is increasingly skills-based, and the work rewards demonstrable ability over pedigree — but the field is cyclical, and the half-life of specific tools is short. What endures is fundamentals and the ability to keep learning.
Graduation rates across these 50 schools average a median of 41%. Median graduate earnings reach $49,372 ten years out — roughly $1,372 more than the national worker average of $48,000. Average net price is $15,112 a year, and median federal debt at graduation is about $22,250. Some 40% of students receive Pell grants, and mobility — the share of low-income students who reach the top — averages 2.0%.
What we’re seeing: employers reward programs with strong industry ties, co-ops, and project portfolios over brand alone. Graduates here post a median $49,372 ten years in — a premium that holds as long as graduates keep their skills current against a fast-shifting stack.
The podium
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Full rankings
Manchester, NH · $10,864 net
Shreveport, LA · 51% accepted · $7,022 net
University Park, PA · 91% accepted · $19,550 net
Oklahoma City, OK · 92% accepted · $16,692 net
Portales, NM · 92% accepted · $4,904 net
Fort Wayne, IN · $20,473 net
Saint Louis, MO · 95% accepted · $22,066 net
Atlanta, GA · 14% accepted · $12,116 net
Pembroke, NC · 93% accepted · $10,260 net
Alexandria, LA · 92% accepted · $7,065 net
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Cut it by what you care about
The same 50 schools, re-ranked by the outcome that matters to you.
Where the programs — and the jobs are
Top states on this list
Where these graduates work
Graduates of these programs most often become Data Scientists and related roles — a field with $108,020 median pay and 36% projected growth.
See the Data Scientist career guide →This ranking scores 50 institutions on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt burdens, and social mobility data from Opportunity Insights. Every data point comes from federal sources. No surveys, no opinions.
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in our algorithm. We use Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card — built on 30 million anonymized tax records — to measure whether a college changes a family's economic trajectory across generations. Schools that take low-income students and launch them into higher earnings rank higher than schools that admit wealthy students and take credit for their success.
The transparency penalty matters here. Schools that don't report their data get scored lower than schools that do. If an institution won't show you its numbers, we think you should know that before you write them a tuition check.
The story behind the ranking
A ranking gives you an order; these charts give you the shape. They show how this group of schools spreads across the four things that decide whether a degree pays off — what graduates earn, whether they finish, how far they move up, and what it costs. Look for the standouts, the outliers, and the trade-offs the list alone can't show.
Earnings Outcomes
What graduates earn 10 years after enrolling. Data from College Scorecard.
Distribution of Median Earnings
Earnings vs. Net Price
Top-left = best value. Top-ranked schools are highlighted.
Completion & Access
Graduation rates and who gets in. Data from College Scorecard & IPEDS.
Graduation Rates
Pell Grant Rate vs. Graduation Rate
Right = more low-income students. Higher = more graduate.
What the Mobility Data Says
The backbone of this ranking is social-mobility data from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, drawing on over 30 million tax records. Among the 28 schools on this list with available data, the typical mobility rate — the share of students who move from the bottom income quintile to the top — averages 2%. Park University leads the group at 3.9%, with Saint Leo University (3.6%) and Franklin University (3.5%) close behind.
Who gets in matters as much as what happens after. Across these schools, an average of 13% of students start in the bottom income quintile. National University leads at 30.4% — evidence of genuine access, not just selective enrollment of already-advantaged students. Schools that pair high access with high mobility are the ones driving real generational change.
Once low-income students enroll, their odds of reaching the top income quintile average 18.3% across this list. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus posts the highest success rate at 57.5% — a reminder that access without completion and career momentum is an incomplete picture.
Social capital — measured by economic connectedness, or the degree of cross-class friendships on campus — is another dimension Opportunity Insights ties to long-run outcomes. Across these schools it averages 1.46 (1.0 is the national benchmark); Maryville University of Saint Louis reaches 1.76, the highest on the list.
Mobility, access, and social-capital figures from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card & the Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas.
Cost & Debt
What families actually pay and what students owe. Data from College Scorecard.
Median Debt at Graduation
Where These Schools Are Located
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Data Science: Your Questions, Answered
What is the #1 school in the Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Data Science ranking? +
University of Florida-Online in Gainesville, FL ranks #1 in our 2026 Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Data Science ranking. It earns the top spot on the strength of a median $71,588 in graduate earnings ten years out and a 81% graduation rate. Our score is built entirely from federal data — graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt, and social-mobility figures — not reputation surveys.
Which school has the highest graduate earnings? +
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus posts the highest median earnings on this list at $102,772 ten years after enrollment — well above the $51,971 average across the 50 ranked schools with earnings data. Strong earnings relative to cost are what separate a degree that pays off from one that doesn't.
Which school offers the best value? +
On a pure return-on-cost basis, University of Florida-Online leads: graduates earn a median $71,588 against net price of about $4,815 a year, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio in the ranking. Value-minded applicants should weigh that payback against sticker price, not just prestige.
Which school has the highest graduation rate? +
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus has the highest graduation rate in this ranking at 93%, compared with a 43% average across the list. Completion matters because the students who finish are the ones who actually capture the earnings and mobility gains a degree promises.
How much does it cost to attend these schools? +
The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is about $15,782 a year across the 50 ranked schools with cost data, with University of Florida-Online among the most affordable at roughly $4,815. Net price is a far better guide to affordability than the published sticker price.
How is the Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Data Science ranking calculated? +
We score every school on a four-pillar algorithm: economic outcomes (graduate earnings and debt), social mobility (Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built on more than 30 million anonymized tax records), academic quality (graduation and retention), and value (net price and loan burden). Social mobility carries the heaviest weight, so schools that lift low-income students into higher earnings rank above those that simply admit wealthy students. Every input comes from federal data, and schools that withhold their numbers are scored lower for it.
How many schools are ranked and where does the data come from? +
This ranking evaluates 50 institutions using the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, the Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card and Social Capital Atlas, Times Higher Education, and NCES IPEDS. There are no opinion surveys or paid placements — the order is determined by the data alone and refreshed as new federal figures are released.
Sources & Citations
David Krug
Co-Founder, CollegeRanker
David Krug is the co-founder of CollegeRanker and a data systems architect focused on making institutional research accessible to families. He builds the data pipelines and ranking algorithms that power CollegeRanker, drawing from federal datasets and Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights research to measure what traditional rankings ignore: whether a college actually changes a family's economic trajectory.
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