Colorado State University Global

CSU Global is a legitimate online college that has accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This accrediting body ensures that higher education institutions pass regular, rigorous quality reviews.

CSU Global's status as a fully online school isn't a concern, either. Hiring managers and HR professionals respect online degrees more than in the past, in part because more legitimate schools like CSU have entered the online space.

CSU Global is a component part of the Colorado State University System, which has a unifying board of governors but allows each campus to administer itself. As such, it's related to the CSU flagship campus in Fort Collins in the same way that Fort Collins is related to CSU - Pueblo.

Business and IT Management Degrees

Federal data from College Scorecard shows business administration/management, HR management, and computer science as the programs with the highest enrollment at CSU Global. The school's top-paying bachelor's and master's programs are both in information systems management, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

Public and 100% Online

CSU Global is one of only seven public U.S. institutions that only offer fully online bachelor's degrees.

Cost Guarantees

The university pledges to lock in each student's tuition for as long as they attend in good standing. There are also no student fees beyond tuition and no rate difference for in-state and out-of-state students, making it fairly easy to calculate costs each year.

According to the data analytics company Lightcast, 70% of CSU Global alumni say they're working within one year of graduating. The most commonly reported jobs are in management, IT, and human resources, which is in line with the school's popular programs.

The top employers of graduates from the 2018-2022 classes are the U.S. Air Force, AT&T, and UCHealth, a University of Colorado medical employer. These employers hired between 5.5% and 6.5% of alumni from those years.

Admission to CSU Global is not especially difficult. The university has a 96% acceptance rate, requiring a high school GPA of 2.8 for bachelor's applicants under 23. Most CSU Global students are working adults, and the university encourages this demographic to apply by requiring first-year prospects to demonstrate at least two years of work experience.

Graduate admission is more selective, requiring a 3.0 GPA on a bachelor's degree from an accredited college.

All applicants must complete an online application through the CSU Global site.

Prospective undergraduates must also submit the following items for consideration:

• Official high school or GED transcripts
• (For transfer students) Official transcripts from any postsecondary school attended
• A nonrefundable $25 application fee (waived for active and former members of the military)

Prospective graduate students need to provide these items with their application:

• Official transcripts from any postsecondary school attended, showing a minimum 3.0 GPA
• A nonrefundable $25 application fee (waived for active and former members of the military)

This streamlined admissions process eliminates some common application items, such as letters of reference and personal statements.