Rankings

Best Online Degrees for a Career in Healthcare (2026)

Online degrees across healthcare fields, ordered by the median earnings graduates report one year after finishing.

517 schools with a matching program · Ordered by median earnings, 1 year after graduation · Updated 2026-10-15 · Compare Online Degrees

Find my program See the top schools

How we ranked these

Every school is listed with the same published figures, from the u.s. department of education, college scorecard field-of-study (most recent cohorts, 2025-26) and ipeds completions (2024-25). One figure orders the list: median earnings, 1 year after graduation. Sponsorship is labeled and never changes a school's place.

At a glance

Compare by median earnings, 1 year after graduation and cost

Best Online Degrees for a Career in Healthcare (2026), ordered by Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
#	School	Median earnings, 1 year after graduation	Net price	Completion	Earnings, 1 yr	Visit
1	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	$145,567	$11,305	91%	$145,567	Visit
2	Mercy University	$144,954	$15,093	45%	$144,954	Visit
3	Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs	$143,849	n/a	19%	$143,849	Visit
4	Boise State University	$136,508	$18,423	61%	$136,508	Visit
5	West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County	$130,984	n/a	25%	$130,984	Visit
6	Winona State University	$128,354	$17,413	59%	$128,354	Visit
7	Lamar University	$126,178	$7,984	39%	$126,178	Visit
8	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus	$126,105	$24,803	71%	$126,105	Visit
9	Empire State University	$123,698	$11,131	48%	$123,698	Visit
10	Rowan University	$123,155	$23,938	69%	$123,155	Visit

Featured schools

The 10 schools, from the top

1
Rank 1
Top pick
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
NC · Public
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$145,567
Net price
$11,305
Completion
91%
Earnings, 1 yr
$145,567
Visit school Compare
2
Rank 2
Mercy University
NY · Private nonprofit
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$144,954
Net price
$15,093
Completion
45%
Earnings, 1 yr
$144,954
Visit school Compare
3
Rank 3
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs
CO · Private for-profit
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$143,849
Net price
n/a
Completion
19%
Earnings, 1 yr
$143,849
Visit school Compare
4
Rank 4
Boise State University
ID · Public
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$136,508
Net price
$18,423
Completion
61%
Earnings, 1 yr
$136,508
Visit school Compare
5
Rank 5
West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County
CA · Private for-profit
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$130,984
Net price
n/a
Completion
25%
Earnings, 1 yr
$130,984
Visit school Compare
6
Rank 6
Winona State University
MN · Public
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$128,354
Net price
$17,413
Completion
59%
Earnings, 1 yr
$128,354
Visit school Compare
7
Rank 7
Lamar University
TX · Public
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$126,178
Net price
$7,984
Completion
39%
Earnings, 1 yr
$126,178
Visit school Compare
8
Rank 8
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus
NJ · Private nonprofit
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$126,105
Net price
$24,803
Completion
71%
Earnings, 1 yr
$126,105
Visit school Compare
9
Rank 9
Empire State University
NY · Public
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$123,698
Net price
$11,131
Completion
48%
Earnings, 1 yr
$123,698
Visit school Compare
10
Rank 10
Rowan University
NJ · Public
Median earnings, 1 year after graduation
$123,155
Net price
$23,938
Completion
69%
Earnings, 1 yr
$123,155
Visit school Compare

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Questions about this ranking

How is this ranking made?

One figure orders the list: median earnings, 1 year after graduation. Every rule we applied is published in the method below.

Can a school pay to rank higher?

No. Sponsorship is a separate, labeled section, and paying never changes a school's place in the ranking.

What do the figures cover?

Median earnings are published for the federal program family, not the exact subfield. Net price and completion describe the whole school.

How this ranking is made

Every line below is a rule. None of them can be bought.

If a rule is not written here, we did not apply it.

01
Programs in this list: schools that awarded a credential in healthcare, at the certificate and associate and bachelor's and master's level, with the program family reported fully online according to IPEDS Completions (2024-25), matched to the College Scorecard field-of-study file.
02
Ranked by one figure: median earnings one year after graduation for the school's healthcare programs (median earnings, 1 year after graduation), from the College Scorecard field-of-study file.
03
Programs with fewer than 10 graduates reporting earnings are left out because a median from a small group swings too much to compare.
04
The federal file publishes earnings by 4-digit CIP family, not by the precise subfield, so the figure describes the family named above. The online flag is reported at the family level too, so confirm the specific program is taught online with the school.
05
No school can pay to be included or to move up. Sponsored schools, where shown, appear in a separate, labeled section.
06
IPEDS Completions tells us which schools actually award a credential in this field. The College Scorecard tells us the online flag and the published earnings. Both are federal files; neither is for sale.
07
Confirm accreditation, licensure, and whether the program prepares you for a state credential with the school.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study (Most Recent Cohorts, 2025-26) and IPEDS Completions (2024-25); IPEDS release C2024_A. Logos by Logo.dev.

How to read this healthcare list

517 schools award a credential in this field and report the program family as fully online in federal data. The list is ordered by median earnings one year after graduation. No school pays to appear or to move up.

517schools in this field, ordered by one published figure

Top program earnings

$145,567 at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Median program earnings

$78,432 one year after graduation

Schools with published earnings

500 of 500 listed

Before you apply

Accreditation in healthcare

Look for institutional accreditation and, where the field has one, programmatic accreditation from the body that covers it.

Credential

What you earn, and what you sit for

Confirm which credential or license the program prepares you for, and whether graduates actually sit for it.

Online reality

What the online flag does and does not mean

Online here means the school reported the program family as fully online to the U.S. Department of Education. The specific subfield you want may still include an in-person piece.

Practical work

What to ask about placements

Ask how any clinical, externship, or practicum piece is arranged for online students before you enroll.

The top school here is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with median program earnings of $145,567 one year after graduation. Earnings are reported by federal program family, not by the exact subfield, so treat the figure as a signal about the field and the school, not a promise about any one job.

Written by Lena OkonkwoEducation editor

Reviewed by Marcus HaleData editor

Updated Oct 15, 2026

Terms used on this ranking

Median earningsMedian earnings is the midpoint of the earnings distribution for a defined group of former students, most ofte...Median debtMedian debt is the midpoint of the cumulative federal student loan amounts borrowed by a defined group of stud...Gainful employmentGainful employment is the federal regulatory framework that evaluates whether certain Title IV-eligible progra...Graduation rateGraduation rate is the percentage of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates who c...

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Advertising disclosure

Some of the schools on this page are advertisers and are clearly labeled as such. They pay us when you click through or request information, and that payment can affect which schools appear and in what order. Net price, graduation rate, earnings, and debt come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and are the same figures we publish for every school.

How we ranked these

Compare by median earnings, 1 year after graduation and cost

Featured schools

The 10 schools, from the top

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mercy University

Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs

Boise State University

West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County

Winona State University

Lamar University

Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus

Empire State University

Rowan University