Best online master’s in healthcare administration programs: Forbes Advisor

Forbes Advisor has ranked the best online master’s in healthcare administration programs, evaluating hundreds of accredited, nonprofit colleges in the U.S. across factors including cost, student outcomes and accreditation status.

The Forbes Advisor education team published the ranking April 20, after evaluating 252 schools and identifying the top 10 programs using 15 metrics across five weighted categories:

• Student experience: 40%

• Affordability: 20%

• Credibility: 20%

• Student outcomes: 15%

• Application process: 5%

Metrics included overall graduation rate, median earnings 10 years after graduation, in-state graduate tuition and fees, alternative tuition plans, median federal student loan debt, student loan default rate, student-to-faculty ratio, socioeconomic diversity, availability of online coursework, number of graduate assistants, proportion of students enrolled in distance education, accreditation status, nonprofit status and acceptance rate.

Data was sourced from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, third-party data providers and institutional websites, with data current as of February 2026.

The publication selected the top 10 schools based on those receiving a curved final score of 92% or higher, meaning these programs performed at the top of the distribution after scores were normalized across all evaluated institutions.

The 10 highest-ranked programs are:

• Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.): Best for focus on vulnerable populations

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Best for state residents

• University of Illinois Chicago: Best for networking

• Texas A&M University (College Station): Best for in-person immersion courses

• Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.): Best for student outcomes

• Clarkson College (Omaha, Neb.): Best for accelerated courses

• University of St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.): Best for leadership focus

• Concordia University Irvine (Calif.): Best for professional development

• Bay Path University (Longmeadow, Mass.): Most concentration options

• Columbia (S.C.) College: Most accessible program

More information about the methodology is available from Forbes Advisor.

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