What an online degree costs — and what it cannot buy
An accredited online master’s can cost less than one year of campus rent. It also comes with no visa. Both halves matter, so here are both.
The same degree, from the same university
University of London BSc Computer Science: £17,957 online against £27,750 on campus for an identical degree. And that gap ignores three years of London rent, which is the bigger number.
Checked 8 September 2026 against the University of London degree page.
Two you can look up right now
Both are real universities with published prices. Neither hides the fee.
Georgia Tech — MSc Computer Science (OMSCS)
30 credit hours — about $5,850 in tuition, plus per-term fees.
Georgia Tech calls it the first accredited computer science master’s taught entirely online. Same faculty, same degree, roughly a tenth of the campus price.
Checked 8 September 2026 against Georgia Tech Professional Education.
University of London — BSc Computer Science
Paid module by module across six terms, not up front.
The fee band depends on where you live, so students in lower-income countries pay the lower end. Take three to six years over it if you are working.
Checked 8 September 2026 against the University of London degree page.
What the fee does not include
Four things the degree will never give you. Nobody selling one leads with this list.
No student visa
Studying from your bedroom needs no visa, and earns you none.
No post-study work visa
Canada refuses a work permit if over half your course was distance learning. The UK Graduate visa needs a Student visa first.
Checked 8 September 2026 against IRCC post-graduation work permit rules.
No campus network
No part-time work rights, no societies, no professor who remembers your face.
Nobody making you show up
This is what actually ends most online degrees. You supply all the pressure.
So who should actually do one?
Three good reasons and one bad one. The bad one is the most common.
You already have a job
Keep the salaryStudy at night, bank your pay, finish with no debt. A part-time online master’s costs less than one year of campus living.
You want the skill, not the move
Skip the visaIf the goal is a promotion at home rather than a life abroad, the visa you cannot get is a visa you did not need.
You are short of an entry requirement
A cheap bridgeA recognised online certificate can patch a weak transcript before you apply on campus — far cheaper than a foundation year abroad.
You want to emigrate
Wrong toolBe honest with yourself here. If the real goal is residency, an online degree does not start that clock. Go on campus.
Going on campus after all?
If the goal is to actually move, the visa and the funding are the two things to sort first. Both are on this site, and neither costs you anything.
Still weighing it up?
Compare it honestly against going in person before you decide.
Work Visas & Staying On
2 pagesHow long you can stay after you graduate, and which routes lead to residency.
ReadWhat It Really Costs
15 countriesTuition, rent and the bank balance the embassy asks to see, added up per country.
Compare costsFree Practice Tests
6 testsTen real-format questions per test, marked as you go. About ten minutes.
Pick a testAm I Eligible?
5 questionsFive questions, then the awards you actually qualify for. No sign-up.
Check meQuestions about online degrees
What is the cheapest accredited online degree?
Prices move, but the well-known low-cost route is a recognised university that charges by credit rather than by year. Georgia Tech’s online computer science master’s publishes $195 per credit hour across 30 credit hours — roughly $5,850 in tuition for an accredited US master’s degree.
Some universities also band fees by where you live, so students in lower-income countries pay the lower end of the published range. Always check the band before you assume the headline figure applies to you.
Can I get a student visa for an online degree?
No. Student visas exist so that you can attend in person, so studying from home needs no visa and earns none.
The bigger loss is afterwards. Canada refuses a post-graduation work permit if more than half your programme was distance learning, and the UK Graduate visa requires you to be in the UK on a Student visa. If your real goal is to move abroad, an online degree does not start that clock.
Is an online degree worth it?
It depends entirely on what you want from it. If you want the qualification while keeping your salary, it is often the better deal — the same University of London computer science degree costs £17,957 online against £27,750 on campus, before you count three years of rent you never pay.
If you want to emigrate, it is the wrong tool. No visa, no post-study work rights, no campus network. Pick the one that matches the goal.
How do I spot a fake online degree or diploma mill?
One flat price for a whole degree, a qualification promised in weeks, credit for “life experience” with nothing marked, a name suspiciously close to a famous university, an accreditor absent from every government list, and an address that turns out to be a mailbox shop.
Any one of those is enough to walk away. Real universities bill by credit or term and have admissions officers, not salespeople chasing a discount that expires tonight.