When searching for that perfect college for you, Times Higher Education is one of the best sources for finding out more about the best schools from around the world. Known as the “Top 200 World Universities,” this list considers a number of factors when rating colleges and can provide students with some great information about each school. While this is just one of the tools you can use when comparing colleges, understanding how this list is created can help you understand some of the education choices available to you.

First and foremost, it is important to note that the Times college rankings will likely be changing significantly over the next several years. From 2004 to 2009, the list was compiled in conjunction with Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS. However, from 2010 on, the list will instead be compiled in conjunction with Thomson Reuters. So, their methodology might change and improve with this new partnership, which will give students an even more helpful ranking of schools.

Currently, the Times college list is compiled based on factors that fall into six different categories:

• Peer Review Score
• Faculty/Student Score
• Citations/Faculty Score
• Recruiter Review Score
• International Faculty Score
• International Students Score

The scores in each of these categories are based on factories like faculty publications and student-to-staff ratio. Each category is weighted based on how important Times believes these factors to be. This list is most highly criticized because of the weight given to peer review, which has, until 2009, accounted for 40% of the total score.

Peer review is important because it is a way for Times to understand a school’s reputation in the academic world. Each school is asked to participate in a survey, where they rank other schools with which they’re familiar. The problem with this, however, is that some schools strategically rank certain schools lower simply because they want to skew the ranking results. So, to put so much weight on peer review may not make the list extremely accurate for all schools, according to critics. It is speculated that this will be one of the pieces of methodology that will change in the coming years.

In addition to producing their list of the 200 best colleges in the world, Times also ranks colleges on smaller lists according to specific categories. There are lists for schools emphasizing engineering/IT, science and biomedicine, natural sciences, social sciences, and arts/humanities. These smaller lists are often more helpful to students than the larger international list that takes all colleges into consideration.

Times publishes its list every fall in their magazine, as well as online. While this is a great way to start your search for the perfect college, remember that the top school for you may not necessarily be atop this or any other college rankings. Make in-person visits to campuses, talk to professors and students, learn about scholarship and grant availability, and do research beyond subjective rankings to learn more about every school you’re considering.

The Internet has revolutionized the world of education so that now you can earn a degree entirely online from the comfort of your home or office. This is perfect for busy working professionals or anyone who wants to get ahead in a career without having to go to class on a physical campus everyday. Below we have listed the best schools offering accredited online degrees.

Top 10 Online Universities Ranking

	University of Phoenix — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. The University of Phoenix is world-renowned for being the largest online university, which is one reason why we list it at the #1 spot here in our ranking. Unlike other onine universities which may only offer a handful of specialized degree programs to its students, Phoenix boasts dozens of different degrees at all levels that students can choose from.
	Ashford University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Ashford is a private liberal arts university based in Clinton, Iowa. But thanks to the World Wide Web, students from all over the world can access their online coursework. Originally founded in 1918 as Mount St. Clare College, Ashford has Catholic roots and today its NAIA-level athletic teams are known as The Saints, which compete in the Midwest Collegiate Conference in over a dozen sports.
	Boston University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Founded in 1839, Boston University is one of the oldest universities that offers online education. At Boston Online, students can study liberal arts, business, science, criminal justice, health, music, nursing, and more.
	Liberty University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Liberty University has the reputation of being the largest online evangelical Christian university in the nation. Founded in 1971 by the late Reverend Jerry Falwell, Liberty's original name was Lynchburg Baptist College. Liberty obtained university status in 1984. In athletics, Liberty is a member of the Big South Conference for 18 sports, including football, hockey, and basketball. Academically, Liberty offers majors in over 70 subjects, including aeronautics, business, nursing, and more.
	Walden University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. For students looking for flexible and affordable online education, Walden University offers both. Courses of study available include business, criminal justice, health science, and much more.
	DeVry University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. DeVry has dozens of campuses nationwide and delivers its coursework via the Web to thousands of online students studying for their degrees. At DeVry University, all degree programs are career-focused to ensure that proper training is given to students pursuing a specific job or career path.
	Capella University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Capella University was founded in 1991 by Stephen Shank, the former CEO of Tonka, who felt that working adults were underserved by traditional brick-and-mortar universities. While their offices are located in downtown Minneapolis, being an online university, the majority of learning takes place outside of campus and instead via the Internet. Their motto: "Knowledge is solving problems no one else can."
	Kaplan University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Founded in 1937 as Quest College, Kaplan University is based in Davenport, Iowa, but its online classes are open to everyone nationwide. Kaplan is organized into ten different academic schools, including Arts & Sciences, Business, Criminal Justice, Education, Health Sciences, IS & Technology, Legal Studies, Nursing, Continuing Education, and Concord Law School. As you can see, Kaplan offers degrees in numerous subjects.
	American InterContinental University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. American InterContinental University, also known as AIU, is a private school accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Founded in 1970 as the American College of Applied Arts, AIU today has seven campuses in the US and UK and runs its online program out of its Chicago offices. AIU offers degree programs in several subjects, including healthcare, business, education, criminal justice, and more.
	Strayer University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. In 1892, S. Irving Strayer founded Strayer's Business College. Today, this is known as Strayer University and has over 70 non-residential campuses with more than 50,000 students nationwide. Strayer is highly regarded as producing as many students with computer science degrees as any other school in the country.
	Grand Canyon University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's and Master's. Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 as Grand Canyon College, an Arizona Southern Baptist school. (It reached university status in 1989.) Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, GCU is typically featured among the Top 10 online colleges as ranked by The Online Education Database (OEDb).
	Argosy University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Argosy University was formed in 2001 when the University of Sarasota, the American School of Professional Psychology, and the Medical Institute of Minnesota merged. Today, Argosy is headquartered in Chicago but has campus locations all over the United States and offers online degrees in psychology, business, and education.
	Westwood College Online — Degree Levels: Associate's and Bachelor's. Westwood College has over a dozen campus locations throughout the US. The Denver North campus is responsible for their online division, in which all coursework is completed entirely via the Internet. Currently, over two dozen online degree programs are available in subjects including criminal justice, business administration, fashion merchandising, and more.
	Everest University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Formerly Florida Metropolitan University, Everest University was founded in 1969. Today, the university has campuses scattered throughout the state of Florida and offers classes online to any US citizen. Everest offers a special online learning programs for US servicemembers overseas. Military students of the university are able to complete courses in their off-duty hours at military installations in the US, overseas, and even on naval ships.
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