Best ABET-Accredited Online IT Degrees in 2027

What ABET Accreditation Means for an Online IT Degree

ABET is a nonprofit that reviews applied science, computing, engineering and technology programs. Its Computing Accreditation Commission, called CAC, covers information technology, cybersecurity, computer science and information systems. ABET states on its accreditation overview that it offers accreditation to programs only, and that means no institutions. So an ABET-accredited online IT degree is one named degree. The University of Cincinnati shows what that looks like: its online IT bachelor’s and its cybersecurity bachelor’s each state their own accreditation, because each was reviewed on its own.

What the Reviewers Check

The CAC publishes its criteria for accrediting computing programs. At the bachelor’s level there are eight general criteria: students, program educational objectives, student outcomes, continuous improvement, curriculum, faculty, facilities and institutional support. The curriculum rules are specific. A bachelor’s must include at least 30 semester credit hours of fundamental and advanced computing topics. A program named information technology needs at least 45 semester credit hours of coursework in the field and at least six semester credit hours of mathematical topics. A cybersecurity program needs at least 45 semester credit hours of computing and cybersecurity coursework, and its mathematics must include discrete mathematics and statistics.

In a 120-credit degree, that sets a floor on how technical the major must be. The continuous improvement criterion asks a program to show how it assesses what students learn and how it uses the results to improve.

ABET, Institutional Accreditation and CAE-CD

Three labels get confused, and each answers a different question.

• Institutional accreditation covers the whole school. It bears on whether credits transfer and whether students can use federal aid. All 12 programs here sit at institutionally accredited schools: 6 through the Higher Learning Commission, 3 through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, 1 through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and the rest through other recognized accreditors. You can confirm any school in the CHEA directory.
• ABET CAC accreditation covers one program and is voluntary. It is the layer this page is built on.
• CAE-CD is the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security designation for cybersecurity education. It goes to institutions, and the CAE map lists them. 8 of the 12 programs here hold ABET accreditation at a CAE-CD school, and the CAE-CD ranking covers that group on its own.

Institutional accreditation is the floor. ABET and CAE-CD are extra signals that stack on top of it.

How Many Online IT Degrees Are ABET-Accredited?

Not many. Across the country, ABET has accredited 65 information technology programs, and 19 of them can be finished fully online. Federal data shows the size of the gap: IPEDS counts 350 institutions that offer an IT bachelor’s, and 92 offer it fully online. Accreditation covers a small slice of the online IT market, and this ranking lists 12 of the 151 online IT programs on the site.

Where the Accreditation Sits Across Degree Levels

ABET’s computing accreditation is a bachelor’s-level credential, and the other rankings show it. The online IT master’s ranking has 0 accredited programs out of 37. The associate ranking has 0 of 31, and the network administration ranking has 0 of 17. The bachelor’s ranking holds 7 of 57, the cybersecurity ranking holds 5 of 26, and 5 of the 35 programs in the cheapest ranking carry it.

Why So Few

ABET accreditation is voluntary and involves a review that repeats on a cycle, so a school may choose not to seek it for a given program. An unaccredited program is not automatically a red flag. It is a missing signal, and you weigh the other evidence: institutional accreditation, curriculum, cost and the support the school gives online students. The reverse also holds. An accredited program is not automatically a good fit, because accreditation says nothing about price, start dates or how well a school treats part-time students.

What the Federal Counts Tell You

The IPEDS figures cover the 2023-24 reporting year and count institutions, while ABET counts programs, so the two do not divide cleanly. The comparison still shows the scale. Of the 350 institutions that offer an IT bachelor’s, only 92 offer it fully online, and 46 more offer a partly online version. ABET accreditation then filters a market that is already narrow.

Where the Accredited Programs Are

The 12 programs come from 10 states, and 8 are at public schools. 2 are private nonprofit and 2 are private for-profit. The biggest clusters are small:

• Indiana has 2 programs, 2 of them public. Both are at Purdue University Global.
• Ohio has 2, 2 public, both at Cincinnati.
• California has 1, at a private for-profit school.
• Florida has 1, at Florida International University.
• Michigan has 1, at a public university.

Public options are in Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Michigan. Every state with a program appears on the state-by-state index.

How We Ranked ABET-Accredited Online IT Degrees

Every program on this page is accredited by the ABET CAC in IT, cybersecurity or a closely related computing field, so ABET is the entry requirement. Within that group, 40% of the score is the school’s graduation rate, 25% is what graduates in the field earn a year later, and 25% is the total tuition bill. Every program here also earns the 10% accreditation share, so it doesn’t separate them. The methodology page lays out the weights.

What Sets the Order

The first-ranked program is the Cybersecurity, BS at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus. The same school’s Information Technology, BS is second, and George Mason University is third. Excelsior University is fourth with its Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, and Western Michigan University is fifth with its Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. A gap of one rank between two programs does not mean one is meaningfully better. It means the underlying graduation, earnings and tuition figures came out slightly apart. Read the cards for the details that decide a real choice, like start dates and transfer rules.

Two Programs From One School

Cincinnati holds both of the top two places because it has two separate ABET-accredited online programs, the IT degree and the cybersecurity degree. Ranking them separately is correct, since ABET accredits them separately. If you would apply to only one school, compare the two degrees’ course lists.

Cybersecurity Programs on an IT List

Cybersecurity degrees sit on this page because ABET accredits them under the same commission. The online cybersecurity ranking has 5 accredited programs, and they appear here too. If cybersecurity is your target, the online cybersecurity degrees ranking covers that field in full, including programs that are not ABET-accredited.

Why Some Well-Known Programs Are Missing

A program can be strong and still absent here. This page ranks only programs that carry ABET CAC accreditation, so a respected IT bachelor’s without it belongs in the best online IT bachelor’s degrees page instead. Computer science degrees accredited by ABET are also outside this page, since the page is about IT and cybersecurity. For what employers check beyond accreditation, see whether online IT degrees are respected by employers.

When the List Changes

ABET reviews on a cycle, schools can lose or drop accreditation, and new online programs get reviewed every year. The status shown here was last checked on October 20, 2026. Before you apply, confirm the current status with ABET, as described at the end of this page.

What You Study in an ABET-Accredited Online IT Degree

An ABET-accredited online IT degree is a bachelor’s with a technical core, and the programs differ in how they package it.

A Typical Course Sequence

The published curricula show a common shape. Ashford University lists Operating Systems Theory and Design, Computer Networking, Scrum Basics and Mobile Application Design and Development, and it ends in a Capstone for Information Technology. Purdue University Global lists Systems Analysis and Design, Technology Infrastructure, Website Development, Project Management I and Network Security Concepts for its online IT bachelor’s. George Mason University has students pick one of four concentrations, Software Solutions, Cyber Security, AI Driven Solutions or Computing Platforms and Infrastructure, and finish with Senior Design Project II. Cincinnati’s IT degree offers Software App Development, Networking/Systems, Game Development and Simulation, and Data Technologies. Excelsior University’s IT bachelor’s offers a Cybersecurity Technology concentration and a Network Operations concentration, or a general option. Capella’s cybersecurity specialization lists Cyber Defense and Countermeasures, Cyber Attacks and Ethical Hacking and Computer Forensics.

Several of these programs end in a capstone or design project, and several offer concentrations.

Delivery and Labs for Working Students

Of the 2 programs that state a delivery format, 2 are fully asynchronous, Excelsior University and Western Governors University. Asynchronous delivery suits shift work. George Mason states that its program is offered fully online, and Cincinnati and Western Michigan both teach the same program on campus and online. Capella University says students work in immersive labs and mission-based simulations. WGU ends with a capstone completed through its Applied Experience Program.

How IT Differs From Computer Science, Cybersecurity and MIS

IT is about running and securing the technology an organization uses. Computer science is about building software and the theory under it, and the IT versus computer science guide compares the two. Cybersecurity narrows the work to defending systems, and its ABET criteria require discrete mathematics and statistics. Management information systems sits on the business side. Choose among them by the job you want, not the title on the diploma. If two degree names look interchangeable, read the course list. The course names tell you more about the work than the degree title does.

ABET-Accredited Online IT Degree Cost

The table shows published rates for these programs. The per-credit rates are the figures each school lists, and Purdue Global and Capella bill by the quarter credit rather than the semester credit, so compare program totals when you can.

The low total is Ashford at $55,200, which charges $460 per credit across 120 credits. The high total is Purdue Global at $66,780, which charges $371 per credit across 180 quarter credits. Excelsior sits between them at $61,200, at $510 per credit across 120 credits.

Residency and Sector

2 public program charges different rates by residency, and 2 charge the same for everyone. North Carolina A and T State University lists $152 for in-state students against $755 for everyone else, so residency changes the price by a wide margin. Check which rate applies to you before ruling a program out. The cheapest online IT degrees ranking is built around price if cost is your main filter.

Fees Beyond Tuition

Tuition is rarely the whole bill. 4 of the programs publish fees on top of tuition. Excelsior University lists a $40 per credit Academic Services Fee; $28 per course credit Technology Fee. Western Governors University lists: $200 E-Books and Resources Fee per term. Ashford University charges a Technology fee $115 per course; books/materials avg $125 per course; graduation fee $150.

Flat-Rate Pricing, Aid and Benefits

1 program bills a flat rate by term instead of by credit. WGU charges $4,425 per 6-month term, and you can complete as many courses as you can manage in the term, so a fast student pays less per course. Federal grants, loans and work-study run through Federal Student Aid, and eligibility is tied to a school’s institutional accreditation, among other requirements. Employer tuition assistance varies by company, so ask HR before you enroll. Veterans can check what the GI Bill covers on the VA education benefits page, including tuition and fees and a housing allowance.

Transfer Credit and Time to Finish an ABET-Accredited Online IT Degree

A bachelor’s is 120 semester credits at most of these schools, and the programs that publish a total range from 120 to 122. Quarter-credit schools like Purdue Global and Capella count the same bachelor’s as 180 quarter credits.

Full-Time and Part-Time Timelines

Full-time, a 120-credit bachelor’s takes four years. Part-time while working, the timeline stretches with the number of courses you carry each term. Purdue Global lists an average completion of four years for its online IT bachelor’s.

Accelerated Terms and Competency Pacing

Of the 3 programs that publish a term length, 2 run courses of eight weeks or shorter. Excelsior starts courses every 8 weeks, and Ashford runs 5-week courses one at a time. Capella uses 10-week quarters. WGU is competency-based, so you move on when you pass, and students with experience can finish faster. Cincinnati offers an accelerated route that earns a bachelor’s and master’s in IT or Cybersecurity in five years.

Planning Your Pace

Work backward from the credit total. With a 120-credit degree, a student who takes three courses a term for three terms a year finishes faster than one who takes a single course each term, and the course length decides how many terms fit in a year. Ask for a degree audit after you apply so you see exactly which credits count before you commit to a timeline.

Transfer and Prior Learning Credit

ABET accredits the program you finish, not individual credits. Capella allows up to 135 transfer credits toward the 180 quarter credits degree, and the program runs on quarters rather than semesters. Ashford accepts approved credits from community colleges, other college coursework and life experience such as military service or job training. 3 programs award credit for certifications, and Excelsior University and Purdue University Global are the schools that publish it. Purdue Global’s page says credit toward your degree may be available when you have already passed certification exams, and Excelsior’s program page links to a section on credit for business and professional certifications. WGU says some of its courses may be satisfied through transfer credit. It also lists military transfer credit and ExcelTrack, which lets you move faster through topics you already know.

When an ABET-Accredited Degree Matters

ABET accreditation earns its cost in a few situations, and in others it changes little.

Where It Pays Off

In the pay table below, BLS puts all four roles at a bachelor’s degree on entry, so the degree itself is the credential BLS names, and accreditation is an added signal on top of it. Cincinnati’s cybersecurity page shows how a program can offer more than the badge: it pairs ABET accreditation with an option to earn a bachelor’s and master’s in five years, with five co-op rotations built into that timeline. Weigh features like that against the accreditation itself.

Start with the places you are applying. Some employers and graduate programs may name ABET in their requirements, and the posting or admissions page will say so. The master’s ranking holds 0 accredited programs, so ABET is rare at that level among online IT programs. For security work, the CAE-CD designation is a related signal, and 8 of these programs also sit at CAE-CD schools.

What Employers Say in Job Postings

Check the postings for the roles you want before you weigh accreditation, and note whether they name ABET, a certification or a degree level. Postings in your target city are a faster test than any general rule.

Where It Changes Little

For a first help desk or network support job, certifications such as CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ are the credentials to look into alongside the degree. ABET may matter less if you hold a degree already and are adding a second credential, or if you already work in IT and are finishing a degree you started years ago. In those cases the school’s institutional accreditation, cost and transfer credit may decide more.

Treat It as a Tiebreaker

The honest answer is that ABET accreditation is a tiebreaker. If two programs match on cost, format and curriculum, pick the accredited one. If an unaccredited program fits your budget and schedule far better, choosing it is not a mistake, so long as the school is institutionally accredited. For the larger question of whether the degree pays back, see Is an IT Degree Worth It?

Pay and Jobs for ABET-Accredited IT Graduates

BLS publishes pay by occupation, not by school or accreditation status, so these figures describe the roles an ABET-accredited degree opens, not a premium for the accreditation. The table uses May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data from BLS.

Each of these roles starts at a bachelor’s degree, which is the level ABET accredits.

Reading the Table

The four codes belong to different jobs. BLS counts 190,650 information security analysts. Information security analysts are the highest paid of the four, and their gap between the lowest and highest tenth of earners is the widest. Network and computer systems administrators fall under a separate BLS code, with a median of $99,130 and projected change of -4.1% for 2025-35, so a degree aimed at administration faces slower demand than one aimed at security.

Security Leads the Growth

BLS projects 2025-35 growth of 21% for information security analysts, with 14,100 openings a year. Pay ranges from $75,090 for the lowest-paid tenth to $199,850 for the highest-paid tenth. Cincinnati’s cybersecurity page names the roles it prepares for as vulnerability analyst, incident response specialist, penetration tester, intrusion detection specialist and secure code auditor. See the information security analyst career page for the path in more detail. Western Michigan prepares students for the Network+ and Security+ exams, and the certifications hub shows which exams pair with each role.

Analysts, Databases and Web Work

Computer systems analysts are projected to grow 7.9%, and the computer systems analyst page covers the job. Web developers are projected at 3.8%, and the web developer page covers the job, and George Mason offers a Software Solutions concentration. Database administrators are projected at -0.1%, essentially flat, with 3,300 openings a year from replacement. Florida International University lists systems administrators, applications support specialists, database administrators, computer analysts and computer support specialists as roles its IT graduates pursue.

How to Choose and Verify an ABET-Accredited Online IT Degree

Accreditation narrows the field to 12 programs. A checklist narrows it again.

A Practical Checklist

• Fully online status. Confirm no campus visit is required. George Mason says its program is offered fully online. Cincinnati offers the same program both onsite and online, so ask which version carries the accreditation.
• Delivery format. Excelsior and WGU are asynchronous. If your schedule is unpredictable, that matters more than a one-rank difference.
• Total cost. Totals run from $55,200 at Ashford to $91,006 at Purdue Global. Add fees before you compare.
• Transfer policy. Capella’s published limit is 135 credits. Get each school’s transfer evaluation in writing before paying a deposit.
• Embedded certifications. Capella says the cost of exams such as Google IT Support and CompTIA A+ is included, though the certificates do not count as Capella credit. Western Michigan says graduates come out ready to sit the Network+ and Security+ exams. Compare them with the degrees that include certifications.
• Start dates. WGU starts students on the first of every month, FIU lists January and May starts, and Mason lists a January 2027 start.

Questions to Ask Admissions

Send three questions in writing before you apply. Is the online version of this degree the one named in the ABET listing? Which credits from my prior coursework count toward the major? What fees apply per term beyond tuition? Keep the replies. If the ABET listing and the admissions answer disagree, the listing wins, and a mismatch is a reason to keep looking at the next program on the ranking.

How to Verify the Accreditation

Search ABET’s accredited program database for the school and match the exact degree title. The listing shows the accreditation dates, so check that the dates run past your graduation, and ask the school to confirm the online version is covered. Then confirm the school’s institutional accreditation in the CHEA directory. Repeat the check for each school on your shortlist, because one university can have accredited and unaccredited degrees side by side. If you want a cybersecurity designation too, check the CAE map. To compare every online IT bachelor’s, accredited or not, begin at the best online IT bachelor’s degrees page, then come back here for the accredited group.