10 Most Affordable Online MBA Programs

Find inexpensive MBA options.

An online MBA doesn't have to cost a fortune. Some online programs offer part-time students the chance to earn an MBA for only a few hundred dollars per credit. According to data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average cost among the 10 most affordable online MBA options for out-of-state students is $314.30 per credit hour. Here are the 10 ranked public and private online MBA programs that charged the least per credit for part-time, out-of-state students during the 2021-2022 school year.

Fort Hays State University (KS)

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $350

Number of credits needed to graduate: 33

Total cost for out-of-state students: $11,550

Rank: 171 (tie)

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): 51%

Classes at Fort Hays State University were first taught in 1902 as the college opened in an abandoned military outpost outside of Hays, Kansas. In 1904, the college was moved into the city, which required the removal of a prairie dog town to accommodate the new campus facilities. Initially launched as the Western Branch of the Kansas Normal School, a teacher's college, FHSU underwent multiple name changes and adopted its current moniker in 1977.

Learn more about Fort Hays State University.

Sam Houston State University (TX)

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $320

Number of credits needed to graduate: 36

Total cost for out-of-state students: $11,520

Rank: 84 (tie)

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): 52%

Sam Houston State University began with a mission to train teachers. The college opened in 1879 as Sam Houston Normal Institute on the former campus of a Methodist school for boys. SHSU also carried the names Sam Houston State Teachers College and Sam Houston State College before adopting its current name in 1969. Sam Houston was a Virginia-born lawyer, politician and military leader who served as a U.S. senator, governor of Tennessee and later of Texas, and was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas during the state's brief run as a sovereign nation.

Learn more about Sam Houston State University.

University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $370

Number of credits needed to graduate: 30

Total cost for out-of-state students: $11,100

Rank: 252-328

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): Not provided

When the Texas Legislature voted to establish this university in 1969, the plan was for an upper-level university that would educate college juniors and seniors, plus graduate students. A property dispute delayed construction of the university for years, but it finally opened in 1973. State legislators subsequently passed a bill that established a four-year college at this university, which enrolled its "Pioneer Freshmen" class in 1991.

Learn more about University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Missouri State University

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $320

Number of credits needed to graduate: 34

Total cost for out-of-state students: $10,880

Rank: 214 (tie)

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): Not provided

Founded in 1905, the primary goal of this university at its inception was to train public school teachers in southwest Missouri. Missouri State's first class included about 550 students, but it now enrolls more than 25,000 students. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs, and the school's mission, according its website, is to train "global citizen scholars committed to public affairs."

Learn more about Missouri State University.

Northeastern State University (OK)

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $292

Number of credits needed to graduate: 36

Total cost for out-of-state students: $10,512

Rank: 201 (tie)

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): 47%

Founded in 1846 as the Cherokee National Female Seminary, Northeastern State claims to be Oklahoma's oldest institution of higher learning. The state of Oklahoma purchased the seminary in 1909 and it became the Northeastern State Normal School. Later incarnations were known as Northeastern State Teacher's College and Northeastern State College. The school has operated under its current name since 1978.

More on Northeastern State University.

Lamar University (TX)

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $331

Number of credits needed to graduate: 30

Total cost for out-of-state students: $9,930

Rank: 252-328

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): Not provided

Though originally established as a junior college in 1923, this public university now offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Its namesake is Mirabeau B. Lamar, a former president of the Republic of Texas, who led the region before it became a part of the U.S. This school became a member of the Texas State University System in 1995.

Learn more about Lamar University.

University of Central Arkansas

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $325

Number of credits needed to graduate: 30

Total cost for out-of-state students: $9,750

Rank: 252-328

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): Not provided

Though this public school was initially created to train teachers and had roughly 100 students in its original class in 1908, it now grants a variety of degrees, including doctorates, and enrolled 10,335 students in 2020. As of 2020, the school offered more than 160 academic programs.

Learn more about University of Central Arkansas.

Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $302

Number of credits needed to graduate: 30

Total cost for out-of-state students: $9,060

Rank: 252-328

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): Not provided

When this Gulf Coast school was established under a different name in 1947, it had 312 students. By 2020, the student body included more than 10,800 students. The university was and still is based on an island, and is often referred to as "the Island University." The school's official name has changed multiple times.

Learn more about Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi.

Fitchburg State University (MA)

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $275

Number of credits needed to graduate: 30

Total cost for out-of-state students: $8,250

Rank: 252-328

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): Not provided

Fitchburg State was established as the State Normal School in Fitchburg in an old high school in 1894 and began as a two-year program for training female teachers. It wasn't until 1930 that the first bachelor's degrees were offered and shortly thereafter, in 1932, the school became the State Teachers College at Fitchburg. The school would undergo more programmatic growth and two more name changes before becoming Fitchburg State University in 2010.

More on Fitchburg State University.

Louisiana Tech University

Part-time, out-of-state tuition per credit: $258

Number of credits needed to graduate: 30

Total cost for out-of-state students: $7,740

Rank: 78 (tie)

Three-year graduation rate (2020-2021): 82%

Established in 1894 as an industrially oriented academic institution, Louisiana Tech now awards a variety of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The school notes on its website that it expects students and faculty to abide by a variety of principles, known as the "Tenets of Tech," and to embody certain core values, such as leadership and enthusiasm.

Learn more about Louisiana Tech University.

More about online MBA programs

Find out what questions to ask when paying for an online degree and get our complete rankings of the 2022 Best Online MBA Programs. For more advice and information on how to finance an online education, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.

Least expensive online MBA programs

-- Louisiana Tech University

-- Fitchburg State University

-- Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi

-- University of Central Arkansas

-- Lamar University

-- Northeastern State University

-- Missouri State University

-- University of Texas of the Permian Basin

-- Sam Houston State University

-- Fort Hays State University