A good education can make all the difference. Having a higher degree qualifies you for better jobs, higher salary, and opportunities to have a whole new range of experiences unavailable to others. Yet, for various reasons, not everyone is able to get a higher education on a traditional schedule. Financial, familial, military and health-related circumstances are just a few of the obstacles that can get in the way of immediately going to college after high school.

Not too long ago, people who desired to go back to school and earn an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree, or to add a Master’s or MBA to a degree they already had, had very few options before them. The problems of lost income, an inability to easily travel to a college or university, or simple hesitance about returning to a classroom after so many years out of one, could prove to be impossible to surmount. Today, however, online education opens up doors for people looking to improve their lives but who cannot commit, for whatever reason, to returning to a “brick-and-mortar” institution of higher learning.

If you are interested in learning more about online education, check out some of the best institutions below. Each link will take you to a page where you can request more information from each of the schools free of charge.

Is Online Education Right for You?

When exploring the options for online education, a number of factors must be taken into account. Most importantly, what kind of learner are you? Online colleges offer alternative “classroom” situations that are often perfect for people who don’t perform well in traditional classes. If you are self-motivated and like to work at your own pace, then an online education is probably just right for you.

Non-native speakers of English and others who have difficulty quickly translating their thoughts into words will also find the writing-intensive means of communication that characterizes online learning to be refreshing. Online colleges encourage student-to-student communication, and many find that intellectual exchange via live chats, bulletin boards, e-mail and listservs is more appropriate to their learning style than the type of fast-paced, in-person classroom discussions that take place at traditional schools. Of course, you must be comfortable interfacing with a computer, and have decent typing and Internet skills.

If you’re ready to start improving your education but still don’t know where to start, try visiting some of the links listed below. From there you'll be able to request more information from each of them and learn about what each of them can offer you.