Best Online Universities?

Let me preface my reply with the admission that I am not unbiased about this subject. I co-founded and operate a marketing firm with activities in the for-profit education sector: http://bestonlineuniversities.com/ /// END SELF-PROMO AND DISCLAIMER

I think there is no hard and fast answer but there are two HUGE factors.

1. Context. Do you work for a state or local government? Do you work for a large corporation? Does your occupation require that you be certified? If so, the person who can answer the question "which online degree is best?" is often your HR manager (or someone in a similar role) who can tell which programs will "count". E.g., If you work for a Fortune 500 firm or the Dept of Motor Vehicles, you might automatically get a pay raise when you obtain a specific degree or certification. Chances are, someone somewhere at the organization has a list of which degrees will "count". Normally the degree-granting institution will need to be accredited (and sometimes regionally), and sometimes, there will be a specific list of specific institutions that your organization prefers or accepts. So the bottom line is, check ahead of time, to make sure the program you're interested in will pass muster by the bean counters.

2. Reputation. Now, assuming you're not in such a rigid profession and not necessarily going for an "automatic pay raise once I get such-and-such degree", I would say, the overriding factor is reputation. Online degrees are no different from traditional campus degrees in this regard. Harvard has a better reputation than, say, The University of Notre Dame (to most people at least, for most things), so, all things being equal (cost, etc.), it would be a better pick.

The online education space has a lot of variety in this regard. For instance: The University of Cincinnati and George Washington University both have robust online degree programs, and I would say both schools have achieved a high degree of brand value in their traditional education programs. The perception of authority their offline programs have may transfer to their online programs as well. Many schools which are even more online-focused than those two examples also have large campus programs which can help their reputation. Ultimately that reputation of the institution may help the recipient of the degree when they are trying to get their resume noticed, etc. And all of this isn't to say that 100%-online-only schools don't have reputational value -- some do, and some more than others. A lot of this will be field-specific and actually a great way to research programs is through word of mouth -- talk to people in the industry and former students about their actual experiences both in obtaining the degree, and then trying to leverage that degree afterwards in their career.

I realize some of this answer was gener-o, but so much changes depending on the subject and field that I didn't think more specific advice would be very helpful unless we are discussing a specific field (in which case I might not know the best answer, anyway). Cheers!