25 Online Cybersecurity Bachelor’s Degrees to Consider in 2027

There is no single best online cybersecurity bachelor’s degree for everyone. The 25 programs below are the highest-ranked selections in Cybersecurity Guide’s 2027 list, which screened 172 accredited online bachelor’s programs. The ranking is a useful starting point, not a universal verdict: tuition, transfer-credit rules, schedule flexibility, specialization, hands-on learning and current designation status can make a lower-ranked program the better choice for you.

Cybersecurity Guide’s model gives 30% of its score to tuition and 25% to National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designation. Graduation rate, student-faculty ratio and admission rate supply the remaining points. Tuition figures are the publisher’s reported 2026/2027 online rates, and CAE status reflects its October 2025 data pull. Confirm current prices, fees, delivery and transfer policies with each university before enrolling.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Cybersecurity Essentials	$23.25	Buy on Amazon
2		How Cybersecurity Really Works: A Hands-On Guide for Total Beginners	$30.00	Buy on Amazon
3		CompTIA® Security+® SY0-701 Certification Guide: Master cybersecurity fundamentals and pass the...	$24.15	Buy on Amazon
4		Cybersecurity Career Manual: Pass Security+ Fast, Build a Home Lab, Write a Cyber Resume, Prep for...	$21.84	Buy on Amazon
5		Hacking and Security: The Comprehensive Guide to Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, and...	$48.20	Buy on Amazon

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The 25 ranked online cybersecurity bachelor’s programs

The table reproduces the order, online per-credit rate, required credits and delivery description reported in the 2027 ranking. A listed rate is not a personal net price: it normally excludes fees, books, technology costs, financial aid and any residency or course-specific charges.

Columbus State’s $189 rate is the lowest per-credit figure in this table; Davenport’s $1,059 rate is the highest. Those extremes do not determine total cost. Columbus State requires 123 credits, while programs such as Maryville require 128, and a school’s fees or aid can outweigh a lower sticker rate.

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How the 2027 ranking was calculated

Cybersecurity Guide says it evaluated 172 accredited online bachelor’s programs and selected 25. Its editorial weighting is:

• Tuition per credit: 30%. This favors lower published online rates.
• CAE designation: 25%. The list required every selected school to hold at least one active designation under the publisher’s October 2025 status data.
• Graduation rate, student-faculty ratio and admission rate: 45% combined. The page does not present the ranking as an independently audited, program-level outcomes study.

Because tuition receives the largest single weight, the order should not be read as a pure measure of instructional quality. A second 2027 ranking uses online eligibility, graduation, net price and post-completion earnings, but notes that graduation and price can be institution-wide averages rather than cybersecurity-program measures. Rankings are decision aids; inspect the underlying definitions before treating one as a guarantee.

What the tuition numbers really mean

Estimate a starting tuition total

For a rough first pass, multiply the published per-credit rate by the program’s required credits. For example, 120 credits at $342 is $41,040 before fees or aid, while 123 credits at $189 is $23,247 on the same simple basis. The ranking source says its total-tuition calculations use the actual required credits when a program exceeds 120. Your invoice can still differ because of transfer credit, repeated courses, technology charges, books, lab fees, payment plans and financial aid.

Compare net price, not just the rate

Ask each financial-aid office for a written estimate that includes institutional grants, federal aid, employer assistance and mandatory online fees. Check whether the quoted rate applies to every term, whether it changes for upper-division courses and whether aid requires a minimum course load. A lower per-credit price is most valuable when you can complete the required credits without extending your enrollment.

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Put the list in context

Cybersecurity Guide reported a calculated average of $639.20 per credit across the 172 programs it analyzed on a 2026 page. That is a market-level average, not a quote for any student and not a measure of total degree cost. Several programs in the table are far below it, while Maryville, Touro and Davenport are above it; the difference may be justified for a particular student by transfer policy, schedule or specialization, but the ranking alone cannot establish that.

Which program may fit your situation?

If minimizing the published rate is your priority

Start with Columbus State University, Western Governors University, Champlain College, University at Albany and SUNY Canton, all of which list rates below $353 per credit. Columbus State’s 123-credit requirement and SUNY Canton’s 124 credits illustrate why you must multiply by credits rather than compare rates in isolation. Confirm whether you qualify for in-state or other residency pricing and whether online students pay the same rate.

If you need a fully online schedule

The table explicitly labels Champlain, the University of Southern Mississippi, Bay Path, Western Governors, American Public University System, Norwich, Roger Williams and Touro as online. Other entries are labeled campus and online or campus, hybrid and online. Cybersecurity Guide says six of its 25 entries are classified as hybrid and that those options permit full degree completion online, but the catalog may still include synchronous meetings, proctored exams, local-placement expectations or occasional campus activities. Get the modality for every required course in writing, not just the marketing label.

If you already hold an associate degree or substantial credits

Request a transcript evaluation before comparing prices. Ask for the maximum transferable credits, the minimum credits that must be completed in residence, upper-division requirements and the treatment of technical, military, exam-based and prior-learning credit. American Public University System is described as accepting up to 90 transfer credits, but acceptance and application to the major depend on your individual transcript and the current catalog. A program with a higher per-credit rate can cost less overall if it accepts more of your completed work.

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If you want digital forensics or incident response

Bay Path’s listed degree names Digital Forensics and Incident Response, making it the clearest explicitly named specialization in the table. Other programs use broader titles such as cyber operations, cyber defense, network management or information assurance. Download each current curriculum and look for courses in host and network forensics, incident handling, malware, secure coding, cloud security and digital evidence rather than assuming the degree title tells you the emphasis.

If you need a flexible pace while working

Ask whether courses run in fixed semesters, shorter sessions or a competency-based format. Cybersecurity Guide identifies competency-based courses at Southern New Hampshire University as an accelerated option. Confirm how assessments work, how quickly you may progress, whether faculty support is live or asynchronous and whether financial aid permits the pace you want.

CAE designations: what they signal and what they do not

The National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security Center of Academic Excellence framework is the ranking’s principal quality gate. Cybersecurity Guide discusses three designation types relevant to bachelor’s study:

• CAE-Cyber Defense (CAE-CD): curricula map to NSA Knowledge Units.
• CAE-Cyber Research (CAE-R): emphasizes research activity and preparation.
• CAE-Cyber Operations (CAE-CO): focuses on operational cybersecurity capabilities.

CAE status can indicate that an external process found the curriculum aligned with specified workforce knowledge areas. It does not guarantee a job, a particular starting salary, excellent teaching in every course, current laboratory capacity or acceptance of your transfer credits. Designations can expire or change scope, so check the current official NSA/NCAE institution list and ask which campus, modality and degree the designation covers.

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Steven Bowcut, identified by Cybersecurity Guide as an editor who has evaluated cybersecurity programs for more than a decade, wrote: “the single clearest dividing line between a strong program and a weak one is CAE designation — without it, a program has no external validation that its curriculum meets federal workforce standards.” That is Bowcut’s opinion as quoted by the publisher, not a statement from NSA or DHS and not proof that every CAE-designated program is the right fit.

Look beyond the ranking: curriculum and practical experience

Core technical coverage

Compare required courses, not just electives. A robust bachelor’s plan normally gives you foundations in programming or scripting, networking, operating systems, databases, security architecture, risk management, cryptography, identity, incident response and digital forensics. Check whether labs use current virtual machines, cloud environments, packet analysis and logging tools, and whether students can safely practice attacks and defenses in an isolated cyber range.

Capstone, internship and portfolio requirements

Find out whether the capstone is an individual paper, a team security assessment or a working system. Ask how internships are sourced, whether placement is optional and whether remote students receive equivalent access to faculty-supervised projects. A portfolio can include threat models, detection rules, secure-code reviews, incident timelines and a documented home lab; never include real personal data or unauthorized targets.

Faculty and student support

The ranking uses student-faculty ratio, but that number does not tell you response times or laboratory supervision. Ask who teaches the online sections, how quickly instructors answer technical questions, what tutoring and accessibility services are available, and whether advising covers course sequencing and internships. Verify that the cybersecurity courses are offered often enough to avoid a one-term delay when a prerequisite is missed.

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Transfer credits, acceleration and residency questions

Before paying an enrollment deposit, obtain a written degree audit showing which credits satisfy general education, free electives and major requirements. “Accepted” credit may count only as an elective and still leave you needing the same cybersecurity courses. Ask these questions:

1. What is the maximum number of transfer credits, and is there a separate limit for major courses?
2. What minimum grade, age and accreditation rules apply?
3. Do professional certifications, military training or standardized exams earn credit?
4. Which courses must be completed at the university, and can they all be taken online?
5. Will transferred laboratory courses satisfy the program’s lab requirement?
6. Does aid change if your transfer credits reduce your remaining enrollment below full time?

Competency-based or accelerated delivery can shorten calendar time, but only if you can demonstrate mastery and maintain the required pace. Request the academic calendar, assessment rules and a term-by-term completion plan before assuming an advertised acceleration is available to you.

Admissions and preparation

Requirements vary by school and by whether you apply as a first-year, transfer or adult student. Prepare transcripts, proof of graduation, any standardized test scores requested, and a list of prior technical coursework. If you are new to computing, take an introductory programming or networking course before the first advanced security class. Review mathematics requirements, since statistics, discrete mathematics or college algebra may be prerequisites.

Ask whether the program requires a background check for internships, specific hardware, a modern operating system, a webcam for proctoring or paid software. Make sure your employer’s device and network permit the virtual labs; corporate security controls can block required tools.

Career outcomes and certifications

Cybersecurity Guide’s 2026 career page reports a $129,180 median annual wage for information security analysts and 21% projected growth through 2035, relaying Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Those figures describe a national occupation, not the expected starting salary or hiring probability of every graduate. Pay varies by location, experience, clearance, role and credentials, and the source’s competing ranking notes that some earnings measures are institution-level proxies.

A bachelor’s degree can support entry-level applications for security analyst, security operations center, vulnerability-management, governance-risk-and-compliance, junior penetration-testing, incident-response and digital-forensics roles. Employers may also expect internships, networking and demonstrated projects. CompTIA Security+ is one certification students may pursue during or after a degree; no school in this list should be assumed to bundle it unless its current program materials say so. Budget separately for exam fees, preparation and renewal requirements.

A verification checklist before you enroll

1. Confirm accreditation. Verify the institution’s current institutional accreditation and whether the listed cybersecurity degree is included.
2. Check CAE status. Search the current NSA/NCAE list and confirm the designation type, campus and program scope.
3. Get a net-price estimate. Include tuition, mandatory fees, books, lab or technology charges and aid.
4. Validate modality. Obtain a term-by-term list of required courses and identify synchronous meetings, proctoring, residencies and internship requirements.
5. Complete a transfer evaluation. Require a written degree audit and a maximum-credit statement.
6. Inspect the curriculum. Look for programming, networking, cloud, forensics, secure development, incident response and a substantive capstone.
7. Ask about support. Confirm faculty access, advising, tutoring, accessibility services and lab troubleshooting.
8. Check outcomes carefully. Request program-level graduation, retention, internship and employment data; ask how each figure was calculated.
9. Plan your schedule. Map prerequisites, work hours, aid enrollment rules and the frequency of required courses.
10. Recheck every figure. Tuition, course availability, designation status and transfer policies can change between the ranking’s 2026/2027 data and your start date.

Bottom line

For a low published rate, Columbus State is the table’s standout, while Champlain, Western Governors and American Public University System offer other relatively low-cost starting points. For a named digital-forensics and incident-response path, Bay Path deserves a close curriculum review. For transfer-heavy or working-adult situations, the decisive factors are credit application, pacing and online course availability, not rank alone. Use the 25 schools as a screened shortlist, then choose the program whose verified net cost, modality, curriculum, CAE scope and support match your circumstances.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1

Cybersecurity Essentials

$23.25

SaleBestseller No. 2

How Cybersecurity Really Works: A Hands-On Guide for Total Beginners

$30.00

SaleBestseller No. 3

CompTIA® Security+® SY0-701 Certification Guide: Master cybersecurity fundamentals and pass the SY0-701 exam on your first attempt

$24.15

Bestseller No. 4

Cybersecurity Career Manual: Pass Security+ Fast, Build a Home Lab, Write a Cyber Resume, Prep for Interviews, Land an Entry-Level Job, and Succeed in Your First 90 Days — No Experience Needed

$21.84

SaleBestseller No. 5

Hacking and Security: The Comprehensive Guide to Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, and Cybersecurity (Rheinwerk Computing)

$48.20

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