Most Affordable Online EDD Programs in 2023

Find low-cost online EdD programs that have the affordability and convenience you need to take the next step in your career as an educator. 

Search hundreds of top schools for the doctorate YOU want.

Written by

PhDs.me Staff

Last updated

Apr 24, 2023

If you are an experienced educator aiming to advance your career to a high-level administrative role in your school or district, pursuing a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree may be a logical next step. However, you may be concerned about the scheduling challenges and costs associated with obtaining your doctorate. Fortunately, many top universities now offer affordable online EdD programs that address both of these concerns, enabling you to earn your degree remotely and at a reasonable cost. To help you in your search, we have compiled a list of the most affordable online EdD programs for the current year in our college rankings. Keep reading to identify a flexible, high-quality online EdD program that aligns with your budget.

50 Most Affordable Online EDD Programs for 2023

or
1
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

The curriculum for the Doctor of Educational Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands  combines core leadership and research coursework with courses in one of several specialty content areas that include education, criminal justice, English, health science, instructional technology, and seven others. Students complete their degrees by writing and defending original, research-based dissertations. The 60-credit hour program features 100% online coursework with most classes attended virtually at specific times, typically on weekday evenings. Students can attend some classes in person on UC’s campus in Williamsburg, Kentucky. 

Admissions requirements include an education-related master’s degree or higher with a minimum 3.0 GPA from a DOE-recognized accredited institution. A limited number of spaces are available in each cohort with selection based on an assessment of all information provided by applicants. 

Program Highlights:

Doctor of Educational Leadership

  • Credits: 60
  • Cost Per Credit: $375
  • Est. Total Tuition: $22,500
  • Length: Less than 3 years
  • Format: Fully online
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
97%
AccreditationSACSCOC
2
Union University Jackson, TN
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
99%
AccreditationSACSCOC
3
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $

Its low per-credit tuition rate and total of only 30 credit hours of required coursework for EdS degree holders makes the hybrid-formatted Doctor of Educational Leadership from Southwest Baptist University among the best deals for those wanting an affordable online EdD. The program uses a three-tiered “leveling options” model that allows students entering the program at different points along their academic paths to complete and pay for only the credits they need to earn their degrees. Students with Educational Administration MS degrees and building-level certifications, for example, complete a three-year, 51 credit program while students entering with a non-administration education master’s complete a 73-credit curriculum over four years. Some coursework is delivered online through a combination of synchronous lecture sessions and asynchronous assignments. Most coursework, however, is completed on SBU’s main campus in Bolivar, Missouri. 

Program Highlights:

  • Tuition: $445/credit
  • Credits: 30-73 (varies by track)

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
70%
AccreditationHLC
4
Type: Public
Cost: $$

Focusing on educational equity, social justice, and border issues, the EdD degree offered by NMSU through its Educational Leadership Doctoral Program prepares students for advanced leadership roles at education institutions serving underrepresented populations. The 63-credit hour EdD cohort-model program begins annually every fall and progresses through six semesters (fall, spring, summer) of coursework followed by the writing and defense of doctoral dissertations. Coursework is presented in a hybrid (80% face-to-face/20% online) format. In-person classes are on NMSU’s Las Cruces campus with online classes attended at specific times. Students complete other coursework online both synchronously and asynchronously. Students are also required to attend at least two program-approved, research-focused academic conferences during their degree studies.

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership

  • Credits: 63
  • Cost Per Credit (tuition and fees): $329.20 (New Mexico residents); $398.20 (out-of-state residents)
  • Est. Total Tuition: $20,739.60 (New Mexico residents); $25,086.60 (out-of-state residents)
  • Length: Minimum 3 ½ years
  • Format: Partially online
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
65%
AccreditationHLC
5
Type: Public
Cost: $$

Arkansas State University offers two doctoral degrees with substantial online program options. Their Doctor of Educational Leadership prepares students for top-level administrative and leadership roles in schools and school districts on all education levels. All courses are online in a combination of synchronous classes and additional asynchronous coursework. Students also participate in three, day-long summer seminars on the ASU campus in Jonesboro at the beginning, middle, and end of their pre-dissertation coursework.

ASU’s two-year, full-time Doctor of Nursing Practice is a post-master’s program also featuring fully-online didactic coursework along with on-campus immersion experiences before the beginning of each semester. As part of the curriculum, DNP students complete three internship courses totaling 540 clock hours of practice in an approved clinical setting.

Program Highlights:

  • Tuition: $333/credit (DNP); $440/credit (EdD)
  • Credits: 41 (DNP); 60 (EdD)

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
67%
AccreditationHLC
6
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
86%
AccreditationSACSCOC
7
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

Operated by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Concordia University-St. Paul offers a Doctorate in Education program that carries its vision of “transforming communities through educational leadership” by developing student competencies in the areas of scholarship, leadership, community, and innovation. Students progress through the first three years as a cohort, completing all didactic coursework and three chapters of their five-chapter dissertations together. Most students then present and defend their dissertations in year four. The program allows students to complete their degrees while maintaining full-time employment. Except for week-long, on-campus residencies during the summers of the second and third years, all degree requirements are entirely online through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous coursework. 

Program Highlights:

Doctorate in Education

  • Credits: 64
  • Cost Per Credit: $615
  • Est. Total Tuition: $39,360
  • Length: 3 to 4 years
  • Format: Fully online coursework with 1-week, in-person, on-campus summer residencies.
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school); Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (program)
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
96%
AccreditationHLC
8
Evangel University Springfield, MO
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction from Evangel University, a private Christian school affiliated with the Assemblies of God, prepares effective leaders in administrative and instructional leadership roles on the K-12 level. The program begins annually each fall. Students progress as a cohort through seven semesters (fall, spring, summer) before turning exclusively to dissertation preparation, writing, and defense in the spring of the program’s third year. The curriculum can be completed entirely online or through a combination of online coursework and in-person classes on EU’s Springfield, Missouri campus. This EdD degree requires 50 credit hours of coursework. However, students can transfer in up to 15 program-approved credit hours for previously completed coursework beyond the master’s degree level. 

Program Highlights:

EdD in Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction

  • Credits: 50
  • Cost Per Credit: $600
  • Est. Total Tuition: $30,000
  • Length: 3 years
  • Format: Fully online or partially online with blended format
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC) (school) 
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationHLC
9
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
97%
AccreditationWSCUC
10
Type: Public
Cost: $$

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
54%
AccreditationSACSCOC
11
Bethel University Saint Paul, MN
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
99%
AccreditationHLC
12
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationSACSCOC
13
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
89%
AccreditationSACSCOC
14
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
73%
AccreditationSACSCOC
15
East Carolina University Greenville, NC
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
49%
AccreditationSACSCOC
16
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
50%
AccreditationHLC
17
University of Mississippi University, MS
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
71%
AccreditationSACSCOC
18
Belhaven University Jackson, MS
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationSACSCOC
19
Type: Public
Cost: $$

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
9%
AccreditationSACSCOC
20
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
39%
AccreditationSACSCOC
21
Missouri Baptist University Saint Louis, MO
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
98%
AccreditationHLC
22
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
69%
AccreditationHLC
23
Type: Public
Cost: $$

Online Doctoral and PhD Programs

Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
41%
AccreditationSACSCOC
24
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationNWCCU
25
William Carey University Hattiesburg, MS
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
86%
AccreditationSACSCOC
26
Gwynedd Mercy University Gwynedd Valley, PA
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationMSCHE
27
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
6%
AccreditationSACSCOC
28
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
9%
AccreditationSACSCOC
29
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
46%
AccreditationWSCUC
30
Clemson University Clemson, SC
Type: Public
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
77%
AccreditationSACSCOC
31
Type: Private, For-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
29%
AccreditationWSCUC
32
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
25%
AccreditationSACSCOC
33
University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
41%
AccreditationHLC
34
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
35%
AccreditationSACSCOC
35
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
24%
AccreditationSACSCOC
36
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
51%
AccreditationHLC
37
Lamar University Beaumont, TX
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
20%
AccreditationSACSCOC
38
Southwestern College Winfield, KS
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
97%
AccreditationHLC
39
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
28%
AccreditationHLC
40
Wilmington University New Castle, DE
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$

Wilmington University in Delaware offers both fully-online and hybrid options with its Doctor of Business Administration degree program. Students choosing the hybrid option complete some of their coursework online while attending face-to-face classes in the evenings at either the university’s Wilson Graduate Center in New Castle or Brandywine site in Wilmington. Students can also choose the fully-online option that includes both online asynchronous coursework and weekly classes via Zoom along with online small group discussions and counseling sessions. All DBA students are required to attend a two-day on-campus residency at the end of their second year of studies. The DBA program is presented in a cohort format in which entering students progress through the entire course of study together. New cohorts begin in the spring, summer, and fall.

Program Highlights:

Doctor of Business Administration

  • Credits: 54
  • Cost Per Credit: $485
  • Est. Total Tuition: $26,203
  • Length: Three years
  • Format: Fully-online courses with one required on-campus residency at the end of year two. Hybrid option available.
  • Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) (school); IACBE (program)
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
16%
AccreditationMSCHE
41
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
60%
AccreditationSACSCOC
42
Morgan State University Baltimore, MD
Type: Public
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
47%
AccreditationMSCHE
43
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
Type: Public
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
57%
AccreditationSACSCOC
44
Type: Private, For-Profit
Cost: $
Academic
Counseling
No
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
0%
AccreditationDEAC
45
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
Type: Public
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
66%
AccreditationSACSCOC
46
Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, MI
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationHLC
47
Aspen University Denver, CO
Type: Private, For-Profit
Cost: $$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
0%
AccreditationDEAC
48
Type: Public
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
64%
AccreditationSACSCOC
49
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
No
Students w/
Institutional Aid
100%
AccreditationHLC
50
Type: Private, Not-for-Profit
Cost: $$$
Academic
Counseling
Yes
Career
Placement
Yes
Students w/
Institutional Aid
98%
AccreditationHLC

Rankings Methodology

PhD.me’s rankings are based on official government data from The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). To be eligible for our most affordable rankings, colleges were required to have the following characteristics:

  • Annual graduate tuition and fees under $15,000.
  • At least one EDD program offered partially online or fully online.
  • Accreditation from an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Eligible colleges were then ranked based on their performance in the following categories:

  • Cost: Relative cost of attendance compared to peer schools on the list. Based on tuition and fees per academic year. (Heaviest weighting)
  • Institutional Aid: Percentage of students who receive financial aid from the school itself. (Second-heaviest weighting)
  • Online Program Availability: Number of fully-online or partially-online EDD programs reported.
  • Academic Counseling: Existence of this service on campus or online.
  • Career Placement: Existence of this service on campus or online.