The University of Arizona is one of the nation's leaders in online education, according to Newsweek.

UArizona ranked No. 14 overall and No. 12 among public universities in Newsweek's first-ever ranking of online colleges and learning providers, released Oct. 15. The magazine partnered with marketing and consumer data firm Statista to rank the institutions.

In January, UArizona ranked No. 7 overall and No. 6 among public universities in the 2021 Best Online Bachelor's Programs rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

The Newsweek ranking is split into two categories:

• America's Top Online Colleges – the top 150 colleges and universities that offer online degree programs, including hybrid programs with online and offline courses or exams
• America's Top Online Learning Providers – the top 32 institutions other than a university or college that provide access to their own or third-party online courses

UArizona is one of 75 higher education institutions on the America's Top Online Colleges list to earn a five-star rating – the list's highest honor.

"We are delighted to see Arizona Online included in Newsweek's first-ever ranking of America's Top Online Colleges," said Craig Wilson, vice provost for online, distance and continuing education. "The University of Arizona prides itself on delivering a world-class education with an emphasis on flexibility and accessibility. As more students pursue online educational opportunities, we will continue to explore ways in which we can provide students with high quality, innovative learning experiences."

The rankings are based on an online survey of U.S. residents who have used online learning service offers to obtain an academic degree or acquire knowledge and skills for their job (professional development) or hobbies (personal development) via online courses.

Between July 26 and Sept. 13, Statista surveyed more than 9,000 people in the United States. Survey respondents indicated which institutions they used to obtain an online degree or where they attended an online course. Respondents then shared their experiences by rating the institutions on several criteria. Finally, respondents could indicate how satisfied they were with the organization and to what extent they would recommend it to others.

User reviews and additional institutional indicators were transformed into score values and aggregated toward a final score.

The ranking's evaluation criteria include:

• Institutional indicators (enrollment, graduation statistics, research activity): 30%
• Rating of experience: 40%
• Overall satisfaction: 20%
• Recommendation: 10%