UIS Online Program Receives National Recognition

The University of Illinois Springfield has once again distinguished itself on a national stage, with its online bachelor’s degree offerings earning a spot among the nation’s top programs in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. According to the recent rankings, UIS’s online bachelor’s programs placed 48th out of 348 institutions evaluated nationally, and ranked third among public universities in Illinois, reflecting significant growth and academic excellence in digital education.

Making particularly strong showings were two standout degree pathways: the online bachelor’s in psychology, which climbed 14 spots to secure a seventh-place ranking in the country, and the online bachelor’s in business administration, which improved nine places to finish 32nd nationally. The psychology program’s position marks it as the highest-ranked online psychology bachelor's degree offered by any public university in Illinois.

In announcing the results, UIS Chancellor Janet L. Gooch highlighted the university’s steadfast commitment to quality online education, emphasizing the role of dedicated faculty and staff in fostering student achievement and meaningful engagement across virtual learning environments.

The rankings reflect a comprehensive evaluation process by U.S. News & World Report that measures a range of criteria including student engagement, access to support services and technology, faculty credentials and training, student excellence, and peer assessments. Programs that promote active interaction, provide robust support, and are led by well-qualified faculty consistently score higher in these assessments.

UIS currently offers more than 30 fully online bachelor’s degree programs spanning disciplines such as business administration, communication, computer science, criminology and criminal justice, education, English, history, information systems security, international and global studies, liberal studies, marketing, medical laboratory science, mathematical sciences, philosophy, political science, psychology, and public and nonprofit administration.

Enrollment figures for fall 2025 show that 1,928 students were enrolled in online programs, representing 44 states, 81 Illinois counties, and 25 foreign countries, underscoring the broad geographic reach and appeal of UIS’s digital education offerings