You're Ready for Your Degree

At SNHU, we think the “best” online university is likely different for different students. When you’re thinking about what the best online university may be for you, you’ll want to consider the best combination of high-quality education, low cost, a generous transfer policy (if you have college credits already), a best-in-class online experience, and the best student support. And, of course, the availability of the degree you want.

Because SNHU is a nonprofit, accredited university with over 200 affordable, career-focused programs, thousands of students think SNHU is the best online university for them. Our only mission is student success—so we’re always working to provide the absolute best education, online experience, and value for our students.

Yes. The online format is widely accepted as a legitimate pathway to the same learning and outcomes you’d get in the classroom. At SNHU, we’ve been teaching online courses for over 25 years—offering a different, often more flexible pathway to the same degrees offered in our traditional campus setting. And because Southern New Hampshire University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), you can be confident that our programs meet strict standards of academic quality.

Whether in-person or online, SNHU classes are designed to help prepare you for real-world success.

As the popularity of online education rises, employers are increasingly familiar with leading online universities. So a degree you’ve earned online—especially from a respected, accredited university—can help you stand out when you’re applying for a new job, or looking for a promotion within your current career path.

Estimating the true cost of an online degree depends on two main factors:

1. The university’s tuition rate (cost per credit).
2. How much we can help lower your actual cost through transferring previously earned credits, grants and scholarships, discounts, employer tuition reimbursement and other cost-saving strategies. Often, your cost will be a lot lower than you’d think!

Because SNHU is a nonprofit university, we’re able to offer some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation: $330/credit for undergraduate and $637/credit for graduate degrees. So when you choose SNHU, you’re already starting off with some of the most affordable tuition rates available. Then, we’ll work with you to create a plan that can save you even more money on the path to your degree.

The time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree depends on a few factors:

1. How many credits you need to earn (most bachelor’s degrees are 120 credits).
2. How many classes you take per year.

You can drastically reduce the time it takes to earn your degree by transferring previously earned college credits. SNHU accepts up to 90 credits toward a bachelor’s —that’s 75% of your degree—which means big savings in time and money. You can also transfer up to 45 credits toward an associate degree, and 12 towards a master’s degree.

Learn more about ways you can earn your bachelor's degree faster.

In general, college credits don’t expire. But if you’re looking to transfer previously earned credits to a new institution (like SNHU), there are a few factors that come into play—like, for example, how long ago you earned those credits. This can influence whether or not you’re able to transfer them into a particular program. At SNHU, we’ll accept up to 90 previously earned college credits toward a bachelor’s degree, and up to 12 towards a master’s. We’ll help you maximize the number of credits you can transfer to SNHU, so you can save money and finish faster.

At SNHU, online undergraduate programs are 8 weeks long (6 term starts per year) and online graduate programs are 10 weeks long (5 term starts per year). So if you’re wondering when you can start, the answer is always “Soon!"

Find the SNHU term start date that works best for you.

SNHU Campus terms follow the traditional 16-week spring semester/fall semester format.

At SNHU, it means our only mission is your success. Unlike for-profit universities, we don’t answer to shareholders or larger corporations. So we have the freedom to reinvest our revenue in programs and services that benefit our students, and in initiatives that contribute to our mission of student success. It’s why we’re able to offer some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation, a best-in-class online experience, and some of the best support in higher education—from day 1 to graduation and beyond.

Learn more about what being a nonprofit university means to college students.