Limestone Ranked As One Of Best Online Universities In South Carolina; Offers Affordable Option For Students

The list of “Best Online Colleges In South Carolina” was recently released by one nationally recognized website, and Limestone University is ranked right up near the top.

The website www.thebestschools.org released its list of the 15 best online intuitions in the Palmetto State, and Limestone came in at No. 3.

The online program at Limestone provides the opportunity for working adults to further their education, work full-time, and be there for their families. Courses are offered in eight-week terms with six terms per year. Students can take up to two courses per term, earning them as many as 36 semester hours in one academic year.

Limestone has online associate and baccalaureate degree programs in many fields, as well as offering online degrees for the Master of Business Administration and Master of Social Work. Limestone also offers an online RN-to-BSN nursing program. For more information, visit www.limestone.edu/online-degrees.

“We are excited to again be recognized as having one of the best online programs in the state,” said Limestone President Dr. Darrell Parker. “We also pride ourselves as being a very affordable online option. For South Carolina students, Limestone offers private university quality at public school costs – and often times, for even less.”

Parker added that a recent affordability study indicated that Limestone’s online program tuition and fees are actually over 15 percent less for South Carolina residents than Palmetto College, which is the online bachelor's degree completion program for the University of South Carolina.

For in-state, undergraduate students, Limestone’s online tuition and fees total $4,582 for a 12-hour load per semester for a student who qualifies for a S.C. Tuition Assistance Grant, compared to the $5,355 published cost for the University of South Carolina’s Palmetto College. Limestone’s part-time online program credit hour cost is $441 for in-state students, compared to $446 per credit hour tuition and fees for Palmetto College.

Need-based Federal Pell Grants may provide up to $3,173 per semester for qualified online students attending Limestone. Additional need-based aid, student loans, and payment plans may also be available.

According to www.thebestschools.org, distance learning programs allow busy people to prepare for new careers or advance in their current jobs. Online degrees also benefit students who live too far from campus to attend a traditional program. Distance learners save money on transportation, parking, on-campus housing, and other fees.

On the website’s list, Limestone ranks ahead of Anderson University, North Greenville University, Columbia International University, Columbia College, The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, Southern Wesleyan University, and Coastal Carolina University, which respectively rounded out the top ten. Only the University of South Carolina and Charleston Southern University finished ahead of Limestone on the list that was announced in August. The final five institutions on the list, in order, are University of South Carolina Upstate, Claflin University, Lander University, Newberry College, and University of South Carolina Beaufort.