Types of Tennessee Education Online

Almost any type of school can offer a Tennessee education online program. You can earn a degree from a two-year or four-year learning institution, for example. The school you choose can also be for-profit or a traditional non-profit organization. Read on to learn about the different types of online education in Tennessee.

Two-Year Tennessee Colleges vs. Four-Year Institutions

Two-year colleges, also known as junior or community colleges, typically offer technical programs, certificate programs, and transfer programs. Transfer programs are those that provide online associate's degrees to prepare students to transfer to a four-year Tennessee college or university. Examples of two-year Tennessee education online programs include Axia College, a University of Phoenix affiliate, and Penn Foster College. Two-year Tennessee online schools have the advantage of being cheaper than traditional four-year schools, and they tend to have open enrollment policies, meaning anyone with a high school degree may enroll.

By contrast, four-year Tennessee online education programs offer terminal degrees, such as bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional degrees. Four-year Tennessee online schools are much more expensive than two-year learning institutions, but they have the advantage of more prestige and better name recognition. With a four-year school, students will also have a wider selection of degrees and classes from which to choose. Examples of four-year Tennessee online schools include DeVry University and Capella University.

For-Profit vs. Non-Profit Online Learning Institutions

Tennessee online schools can either be for-profit or not-for-profit organizations. For-profit schools make up slightly less than 40% of all postsecondary learning institutions in the U.S. Examples of for-profit Tennessee education online programs include University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Kaplan University. For-profit schools tend to charge higher tuition than their non-profit counterparts, but about 70% of undergraduates who attend a for-profit school full time receive state, federal, or institution-sponsored financial aid.

Non-profit colleges, on the other hand, comprise the majority of postsecondary schools in the United States. About 93.3% of the country's students are enrolled in non-profit, degree-granting learning institutions. Non-profit schools that offer Tennessee education online include Lehigh University and East Tennessee State University. Tuition tends to be lower at these schools, and about 82% of undergraduates enrolled full time at non-profit learning institutions receive financial aid. Typically, non-profit online Tennessee colleges and universities are more likely to possess the proper accreditation than for-profit schools. Moreover, non-profit schools tend to be more respected by employers and among those in the academic community.