Penn State’s World Campus was recently ranked the best online college by TheBestSchools.org. Despite the questionable legitimacy of the website, good for World Campus!

A senior editor from TheBestSchools.org said that after an “extensive evaluation process” based on academic excellence, faculty credentials, student support, awards, rankings, and overall reputation, the website determined that Penn State World Campus deserved the No. 1 spot.

Penn State has a long history with distance education. It was the first university to ever offer any sort of distance learning when it started a correspondence course in agriculture back in 1892, and programs have only grown since then. Launched in 1998, World Campus offers over 120 online undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs including education, healthcare, engineering, and business.

The 6,000 students enrolled in World Campus have full access to Penn State’s world-class faculty, advisers, tutors, and career and library services, and are awarded a full Penn State degree upon completion of their program. The reach of World Campus is wide: There are World Campus students in every state in the US along with D.C., three US territories, and over 62 countries.

This top ranking is welcomed along with many others earned by the University. U.S. News & World Report ranked the University Park campus No. 48 in National Universities in 2015, and Penn State also earned the No. 52 in “Best Global Universities,” No. 41 in “Best Business Schools,” and No. 33 in “Best Education Schools.” Penn State also topped the list for “Top Public Schools,” tying with the University of Florida and the University of Washington. Let it be noted that Pitt didn’t come in until No. 20.

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