PROVIDENCE – Six local colleges were named by U.S. News & World Report as having the best online programs in the country, according to the news outlet’s 2025 Best Online Programs rankings released Tuesday.
U.S. News says it assessed 1,790 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, ranking more than 1,700. The programs that the ranked institutions offered reviewed by U.S. News this year were non-MBA business, criminal justice, information technology, education, engineering and nursing.
Salve Regina University in Newport, the University of Rhode Island in South Kingstown, the New England Institute of Technology in East Greenwich, the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, Bryant University in Smithfield and Johnson & Wales University in Providence appeared in this year’s best overall rankings in various categories.
URI had the highest ranking of all the local schools in all categories, placing No. 24 in the overall online MBA category, rising seven spots from last year. The state’s land-grant school was also ranked No. 54 in online education programs, down two places from last year; No. 65 in online information technology programs, down from No. 55 last year; and ranked for the first time at No. 66 in online bachelor’s degree programs.
Salve ranked No. 55 in online criminal justice programs, down 25 spots from a year ago, and No. 89 in online nursing programs, up from No. 109 in that category last year. New England Tech was ranked No. 71 in online bachelor's degree programs, rising 19 places from a year ago.
UMass Dartmouth’s top ranking was in the online nursing program category at No. 30, rising six places from last year. It also ranked No. 45 in online information technology programs, and No. 46 in both the online bachelor’s degree programs and online MBA categories.
JWU was ranked No. 64 overall for its online criminal justice programs, down from No. 44 from last year. The university also ranked No. 119 in online MBA and No. 160 in online bachelor’s degree programs, rising seven places in each respective category. Bryant was tied with seven other schools at No. 33 for overall online MBA programs.
(UPDATED to include Bryant University.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.