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To help the growing number of students interested in remote learning, Newsweek unveiled its fourth annual list of America’s Top Online Schools. 

Two of the 250 colleges listed in the 2025 rankings are based in New Jersey, with one landing in the top 25.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 53.3% of learners were enrolled in distance education courses in fall 2022. In New Jersey, 14.4% of college students took courses exclusively online, while 28.4% enrolled in some. 

While these numbers decreased from the height of the pandemic – when nearly three-quarters of all students were online – it’s still a large leap from 2019, according to data research firm Statista, which helped compile the Newsweek rankings. 

Making the grade 

The New Jersey institutions Newsweek named to America’s Top Online Colleges 2025 are: 

• No. 22: Berkeley College, Little Falls 
• No. 203: Rutgers University, New Brunswick 

“We are honored to be recognized as one of America’s Top Online Colleges by Newsweek, ranking #22 nationally. This distinction reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional online education and supporting our students’ success,” Diane Recinos, president of Berkeley College, said in a Nov. 18 statement. 

The school also noted several virtual resources it offers to support online students, such as the library, academic advisement, the Office of Career Services, Student Development and Campus Life, Personal Counseling, Accessibility Services, the Center for Academic Success, and the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs. 

A Rutgers spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

How were they ranked? 

To determine the rankings, Newsweek and Statista conducted online surveys between June 3 and Aug. 7 of 10,000 individuals in the U.S. who have used online courses to earn a degree or add additional skills for professional or personal development. The findings released in mid-November

The rankings evaluated schools on organization, support, price, reputation, success, recommendation, practical relevance and overall satisfaction, according to Newsweek. 

According to the publication, these are the top online colleges in the nation:

• No. 1: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, Calif. 
• No. 2: James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va. 
• No. 3: Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood, Pa. 
• No. 4: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, N.C. 
• No. 5: Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass. 

In a separate list, the publication also named the top 100 online learning providers in the country. These are “institutions other than universities that provide access to their own or third-party online courses, like Aceable Agent, NASM and WebCE.” No school in New Jersey was ranked in that category.

See also:

For the 14th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named this New Jersey-based university at the top of its annual Best Colleges rankings. Read more >>