Healthcare administration degrees by format
190 of the 368 ranked programs in this field can be finished entirely online, which is unusually high and makes format a weak filter. The useful finding is the one nobody advertises: an online healthcare administration degree costs more at the median than an on-campus one, not less.
The assumption is nearly universal and it is wrong here. The median online program charges $16,448 a year in state. The median on-campus program charges $14,624. Online runs about $1,824 higher in the middle of the market.
The reason is what sits at each end of the list. The cheapest online program here is Salem State University at $910, a public university charging public rates. The dearest is George Washington University at $67,420. Both are the same delivery format, separated by $66,510 a year. Online is a way of attending, not a price bracket, and a private university does not discount its degree because you watch it from home.
What online genuinely saves is the cost of not moving and not stopping work, which for a working adult usually dwarfs the tuition difference in either direction. That is the real argument for it. The argument that it is the cheaper sticker price is one this data does not support.
About 18% of the online programs ranked here are at for-profit institutions, against roughly 7% of the on-campus ones. Choosing online therefore does more than change how you attend: it moves you into a section of the market with a materially different mix of providers.
That is a caution rather than a verdict, and it should not be read as a rule about institution type. Some for-profit universities in this field run large, long-established online programs with real support for working students, and the ranking below includes them on their numbers like everything else. But for-profit institutions in this dataset also cluster at the weak end of the completion range, and a reader who filtered for "online" and assumed the resulting list resembled the national one would be wrong about that.
The practical step is to check the control column in the table below alongside the score, and to ask any institution what share of its healthcare administration students specifically finish, rather than relying on the institution-wide figure the federal data publishes.
Scored on the same model as every other page here: graduation rate 40%, in-state tuition 25%, delivery 20% and selectivity 15%. Because every program in this list is fully online, the delivery factor is constant across it and the ordering is decided by the other three.
| # | School | Type | In-state tuition | Graduation rate | Master’s on site | Admission rate | Degrees awarded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Central Florida | Public | $4,478 | 78% | CAHME-accredited | 40% | 251 | 83.9 |
| 3 | Florida International | Public | $4,721 | 74% | CAHME-accredited | 55% | 163 | 79.9 |
| 4 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | Public | $5,220 | 75% | 77% | 7 | 76.8 | |
| 5 | Bryan | Private for-profit | $14,580 | 90% | 5 | 75.9 | ||
| 6 | Appalachian State | Public | $4,242 | 75% | CAHME-accredited | 90% | 65 | 75.3 |
| 7 | UNC Charlotte | Public | $3,812 | 69% | CAHME-accredited | 80% | 269 | 74.5 |
| 8 | University of Rhode Island | Public | $14,630 | 73% | 72% | 2 | 73.3 | |
| 9 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | Public | $11,685 | 75% | 85% | 6 | 73.2 | |
| 10 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Public | $7,716 | 66% | 71% | 46 | 73.2 | |
| 12 | Towson | Public | $7,530 | 69% | 82% | 93 | 72.8 | |
| 14 | Mississippi State | Public | $10,052 | 67% | 78% | 1 | 71.7 | |
| 15 | Central Penn | Private for-profit | $18,324 | 51% | 18% | 14 | 71.2 | |
| 16 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | Public | $8,838 | 57% | CAHME-accredited | 59% | 21 | 71 |
| 17 | University of Mississippi | Public | $9,612 | 72% | 97% | 8 | 71 | |
| 18 | Rowan | Public | $11,812 | 67% | 78% | 1 | 71 | |
| 19 | William Carey | Private nonprofit | $14,250 | 60% | 60% | 23 | 70 | |
| 20 | Regent | Private nonprofit | $19,950 | 57% | 38% | 8 | 70 | |
| 22 | Maine College of Health Professions | Private nonprofit | $19,162 | 67% | 71% | 3 | 69.3 | |
| 23 | Charter Oak State | Public | $7,896 | 67% | 37 | 69.2 | ||
| 24 | Southeast Missouri State | Public | $8,559 | 58% | 74% | 28 | 69.2 | |
| 26 | Winona State | Public | $8,388 | 57% | 75% | 13 | 68.8 | |
| 27 | Kettering | Private nonprofit | $16,320 | 65% | 77% | 1 | 68.7 | |
| 29 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Public | $9,638 | 62% | 87% | 49 | 68.5 | |
| 31 | University of Mary | Private nonprofit | $19,940 | 67% | 75% | 3 | 68.4 | |
| 32 | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | Public | $7,070 | 55% | 76% | 35 | 68.3 |
The best completion record belongs to Bryan University, which finishes 90% of the students it enrolls against 78% at the top of the list. It places 5th rather than first because graduation rate carries 40% of the score and tuition, delivery and selectivity carry the rest. Ranked order and price order do not agree here. University of Central Florida holds the top place, while the cheapest way into the field is University of North Carolina at Charlotte at $3,812 a year, $666 under the top-ranked program, and it still places 7th of 25. All 25 run fully online, so where you live does not narrow this table.
University of Central Florida
Fully online CAHME master's on campus
Orlando, FL
$4,478 in-state tuition78% graduation rate40% admit rate83.9 score
UCF's online route retains a required Health Services Administration internship, alongside finance, care quality, law and insurance coursework; not every prerequisite or elective is offered online.
View University of Central Florida's Health Services Administration (BS)
Florida International
Fully online CAHME master's on campus
Miami, FL
$4,721 in-state tuition74% graduation rate55% admit rate79.9 score
FIU's online BHSA builds its upper-division curriculum around health systems finance, economics, policy, research, and program evaluation. The program offers full- and part-time study.
View Florida International's Bachelor of Health Services Administration (BHSA)
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Fully online
Norman, OK
$5,220 in-state tuition75% graduation rate77% admit rate76.8 score
OU's completion pathway requires applicants to be at least 25, with 60 college credits earned after high school and a minimum 2.0 GPA; transfer evaluation determines the remaining coursework.
View University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus's B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Healthcare Management
Bryan
Fully online
Springfield, MO
$14,580 in-state tuition90% graduation rate75.9 score
The institution in Springfield, Missouri, teaches healthcare policy, information systems, finance, and quality management online, with research and case-management courses leading into its applied final project.
Appalachian State
Fully online CAHME master's on campus
Boone, NC
$4,242 in-state tuition75% graduation rate90% admit rate75.3 score
App State offers an online route through its business and healthcare curriculum. Faculty mentoring accompanies study of organizational behavior, human resources, and information systems.
View Appalachian State's Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management
UNC Charlotte
Fully online CAHME master's on campus
Charlotte, NC
$3,812 in-state tuition69% graduation rate80% admit rate74.5 score
Charlotte requires 36 credits in the Health Systems Management major within a 120-credit bachelor's degree. The course sequence draws on competencies identified by the American College of Healthcare Executives.
View UNC Charlotte's Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management
University of Rhode Island
Fully online
Kingston, RI
$14,630 in-state tuition73% graduation rate72% admit rate73.3 score
URI's 2018–19 pathway based in Providence, Rhode Island, brought health economics, medical ethics and policy into a 30-credit major, with an introductory practicum and a separate area of emphasis.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Fully online
Cincinnati, OH
$11,685 in-state tuition75% graduation rate85% admit rate73.2 score
Cincinnati's online BTAS includes professional writing, project management, healthcare research, and a senior capstone on organizational change. Students may complete an internship with their employer.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Fully online
Slippery Rock, PA
$7,716 in-state tuition66% graduation rate71% admit rate73.2 score
Slippery Rock pairs eight non-clinical concentrations with accelerated 3+3 and 3+2 pathways that move an administration major directly into SRU's own occupational therapy, physical therapy, or physician assistant graduate programs a year early.
View Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania's Health Care Administration and Management, B.S.
Towson
Fully online
Towson, MD
$7,530 in-state tuition69% graduation rate82% admit rate72.8 score
The major ends in a 12-unit internship that is a degree requirement, not an elective, and asks for a full 40-hour week inside a health service organization.
Mississippi State
Fully online
Mississippi State, MS
$10,052 in-state tuition67% graduation rate78% admit rate71.7 score
The MSU-Meridian BS includes a three-credit healthcare internship and a four-credit strategy course; its curriculum also covers supply chains, informatics, law and care quality.
Central Penn
Fully online
Summerdale, PA
$18,324 in-state tuition51% graduation rate18% admit rate71.2 score
Central Penn teaches Healthcare Management courses exclusively online in 11-week terms, combining health law and finance with project management and a bachelor's capstone.
View Central Penn's Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Fully online CAHME master's on campus
Moorhead, MN
$8,838 in-state tuition57% graduation rate59% admit rate71 score
Moorhead welcomes AA and AS transfer graduates and uses Transferology to show course equivalencies. Healthcare management study combines an online option with required practical internship experience.
View Minnesota State University Moorhead's BS in Healthcare Management and Leadership
University of Mississippi
Fully online
University, MS
$9,612 in-state tuition72% graduation rate97% admit rate71 score
UMMC combines asynchronous coursework with an individual study plan; the admissions committee assigns a track suited to the student's clinical credentials or healthcare-operations background.
View University of Mississippi's Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Administration
Rowan
Fully online
Glassboro, NJ
$11,812 in-state tuition67% graduation rate78% admit rate71 score
Rowan accepts first-year and transfer students into its 120-credit degree, with at least 30 credits completed through the university and coursework in informatics, care quality and operations.
William Carey
Fully online
Hattiesburg, MS
$14,250 in-state tuition60% graduation rate60% admit rate70 score
William Carey combines online didactic courses with an in-person practicum in the student's home state. Its Administration track focuses on finance, marketing, strategic planning, and human resources.
View William Carey's Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration & Education
Regent
Fully online
Virginia Beach, VA
$19,950 in-state tuition57% graduation rate38% admit rate70 score
Regent's 120-plus-credit degree examines healthcare legislation, consent, liability and patients' rights, while building management skills through operations, informatics, accounting and organizational study.
Maine College of Health Professions
Fully online
Lewiston, ME
$19,162 in-state tuition67% graduation rate71% admit rate69.3 score
MCHP permits full- or part-time study and transfer of up to 75 percent of degree credits; interprofessional practice and an assigned community-service experience accompany the online classes.
View Maine College of Health Professions's Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration
Charter Oak State
Fully online
New Britain, CT
$7,896 in-state tuition67% graduation rate69.2 score
Charter Oak offers credit evaluations for professional credentials, helping working healthcare students see how prior certifications can contribute toward their undergraduate study.
View Charter Oak State's Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration
Southeast Missouri State
Fully online
Cape Girardeau, MO
$8,559 in-state tuition58% graduation rate74% admit rate69.2 score
SEMO's business foundation covers accounting, finance, information systems and strategy; healthcare study adds quality improvement and medical-practice management, with an internship required for the degree.
Winona State
Fully online
Winona, MN
$8,388 in-state tuition57% graduation rate75% admit rate68.8 score
Winona's asynchronous completion route lets students examine problems at their own workplaces through research projects, with two- and three-year plans for finishing the bachelor's.
View Winona State's Bachelor of Applied Science in Healthcare Leadership and Administration
Kettering
Fully online
Kettering, OH
$16,320 in-state tuition65% graduation rate77% admit rate68.7 score
Kettering's online BSHS completion route builds on prior healthcare study and offers a management emphasis covering personnel, leadership theory and teams in acute and community care.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Fully online
Carbondale, IL
$9,638 in-state tuition62% graduation rate87% admit rate68.5 score
SIU's online sequence retains an approved 150-hour internship; eligible business or health-related AAS graduates can use a completion option with reduced university-core requirements.
View Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management
University of Mary
Fully online
Bismarck, ND
$19,940 in-state tuition67% graduation rate75% admit rate68.4 score
Mary’s 2011-12 undergraduate catalog places its Healthcare Administration Major in the Gary Tharaldson School of Business, with accounting, finance, marketing and management applied to healthcare organizations.
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Fully online
Alfred, NY
$7,070 in-state tuition55% graduation rate76% admit rate68.3 score
Alfred State runs a 2+2 route for adult learners in which the bachelor's half is completed 100% online in four- to seven-week courses offered year-round.
View SUNY College of Technology at Alfred's Healthcare Management
Delivery format is the one field on this site where the federal data proved unreliable enough to need systematic correction. Checking programs against the schools' own pages found the federal flag wrong in both directions often enough that it could not be trusted on its own, including a large public university's entirely online arm recorded as on campus.
Every correction is recorded against the school page it came from, and the classification here follows what the institution says about its own program rather than what the federal row says. It matters more on this page than anywhere else, because delivery is the whole basis on which the list was cut.
Studying online decouples where you learn from where you work, which makes the national figure the relevant one: Medical and Health Services Managers earn a median of $123,860 with the lowest tenth under $73,390 and the top tenth over $224,340. Where you eventually work still moves that by tens of thousands, so the salary breakdown by state is worth reading before choosing where to apply for jobs, not just where to study.
Where you live does not restrict an online degree, but in-state tuition still follows the awarding institution, so the state a program sits in is still worth knowing. Each state page ranks its own programs and marks which of them run fully online.
Graduation rate carries 40% of the score, in-state tuition 25%, delivery flexibility 20% and admission selectivity 15%. Every input is federal IPEDS data or the school's own program page, and a program has to report both a graduation rate and a tuition figure, and still be enrolling new students, to be ranked at all. Weights are never renormalized around a missing factor, because that turns non-disclosure into an advantage. The same model runs on every state page, with no editorial override and no paid placement. The full weighting, and the factors left out deliberately, are in the ranking methodology (version 1.0).
No accreditation factor appears at this level. CAHME accredits healthcare management programs at master's level only, so no bachelor's degree anywhere carries it, and an undergraduate program claiming otherwise is describing something that does not exist. Where a school states AUPHA certification on its own page, that is reported on the program rather than scored.
If you intend to work where you live, the state rankings compare local programs against the local wage, which is the comparison this page cannot make. If the degree is a step toward hospital leadership, the master's rankings are where accreditation starts to decide what you can apply for, and the four routes into the field set out which one you are on.