Best Online Cybersecurity Degree Completion Programs (2027)

• Highest Score69.8 out of 100

  Highest Graduate Earnings$102,099 median earnings

  Franklin University

  Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

  Ohio · B.S.

  Franklin University's B.S. Review
• Lowest Price$368 per credit

  Northwest Missouri State University

  Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems - Cybersecurity

  Missouri · B.S.

  Northwest Missouri State University's B.S. Review
• Strongest CredentialsPrepares for GIAC

  SANS Technology Institute

  Bachelor of Science in Applied Cybersecurity

  Maryland · B.S.

  SANS Technology Institute's B.S. Review

A program makes this list only if it is built for students who already have college credit: an online degree-completion bachelor's, or a fully online bachelor's that publishes a transfer-credit allowance and an admission path for transfer students.

Then we rank on the same published scoring used across the site, which weighs cost, graduate earnings, completion and the online experience. Credit limits, prerequisites, residency rules and fees come from each school's own program and tuition pages.

You can read the full approach on the methodology page.

• Transfer credit limits confirmed on a school page
• Bachelor's level, delivered online
• Ranked on the shared methodology

Scores combine seven published factors. The methodology page shows each weight and rubric.

Check What Your Credits Are Worth First

A completion degree is only a good deal if your credits count. Start with the school's cap, then ask for an unofficial evaluation before you apply.

The caps in this group run from 70 to 94 credits. Franklin accepts up to 94 of the 124 credits in its bachelor's, which leaves roughly 30 to take there, and the capstone is one course that cannot be transferred in.

Norwich and Northwest Missouri State both accept up to 90 of 120. Mississippi State accepts up to 86 from a four-year school, but only up to 60 from a community college, and no more than 45 of those can be technical credit.

SANS.edu works differently. You must arrive with 70 transferable credits, and they can come from accredited colleges, Sophia Learning, StraighterLine, CLEP, military transcripts (JST) or AP. You then complete the final 50 credits at SANS. If you are 10 credits short, that is a real problem, so count before you apply.

Norwich also reviews military and professional training that the American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluated, along with CLEP scores. If you have training certificates but few classes, that is worth a phone call.

Matching Your Associate Degree to the Right Program

The type of associate degree you hold decides which doors are open, and this is where many applicants lose weeks.

Red Rocks and Mississippi State are the narrow ones. Red Rocks wants a qualifying Associate of Applied Science in cybersecurity or secure software development before you can declare the bachelor's. Mississippi State wants an A.A.S. or Associate of Applied Technology on your transcript, plus a 2.0 cumulative GPA. A transfer student with an Associate of Arts is not the target for either.

Platt College Los Angeles asks for an associate degree in information technology or a closely related field, official transcripts and an admissions interview. The University of Baltimore designs its cyber forensics degree for A.A. and A.S. graduates, and the University of Charleston asks for a 2.0 college GPA and lets you test out of three prerequisites if you work in technology.

Franklin, Norwich and Northwest Missouri State are the broadest. Northwest Missouri State asks for a 2.0 GPA and transcripts from every school you attended. Their degrees differ in focus though. Northwest Missouri State's is a management information systems degree with a cybersecurity emphasis, so it leans toward business and IT management more than hands-on defense.

Where Residency and Fees Change the Price

Per-credit rates in this group span $357 to $1,139, but the headline number depends on where you live.

The University of Baltimore lists $357 per credit for Maryland residents and $1,139 for everyone else, before fees. Web classes add $25 per credit in state or $38 out of state. For a 120-credit degree, the out-of-state total is listed at $136,680, so this one is a local choice. Red Rocks lists $418 per credit for Colorado residents, which falls to $301.85 with the College Opportunity Fund stipend.

Mississippi State and Northwest Missouri State remove that problem. Mississippi State bills every online student at in-state rates but adds a $25 per credit hour instructional support fee at $452 per credit. Northwest Missouri State charges $368 per credit, or $1,104 per course, for residents and non-residents alike, and its page also lists a required $30 per course fee, so ask how that fits with the all-in claim.

Military, law enforcement and first-responder rates matter too. Franklin and the University of Charleston both list $250 per credit for service members, against $398 and $395 standard. The military list compares more of them.

Choosing a Format That Fits How You Finish

Completion students are often working, so format matters as much as price.

If you want a fixed path with no choices to make, Platt's cohort model and Mississippi State's four-semester plan give you a schedule. Mississippi State starts in fall, spring and summer, and mixes live and self-paced work.

If you want speed and many start dates, Franklin offers 6-week and 12-week courses with eight starts a year, and Northwest Missouri State runs 7-week courses with several starts. SANS.edu accepts applications by the 15th of any month and lets you pick OnDemand recorded, Live Online or in-person weeklong courses.

Certifications and practice labs differ too. SANS includes the GIAC exams in tuition and lists nine GIAC certifications through the program. Norwich pairs its coursework with Hack The Box credentials such as the Certified Penetration Testing Specialist. Red Rocks lists CompTIA A+, Network+ and Cisco CCNA, and offers an internship of up to 12 credits.

Compare with the full online bachelor's list if you are open to programs that do not call themselves completion degrees.