Why This Matters

  • 6 COLLEGES IN ALASKA

    Alaska has six colleges that offer four-year bachelor’s degrees. These public non-profit, private non-profit, and private for-profit schools offer many degree programs.

  • $8,840 AVERAGE IN-STATE TUITION & FEES

    This is the average tuition and fees for public colleges in Alaska according to College Board for the 2021-2022 school year.

  • FINANCIAL AID FOR U.S. STUDENTS AVERAGES $14,800

    The average financial aid package was $14,800 during the 2020-2021 school year for full-time students in the U.S.

Our Research

This list features some of the best brick-and-mortar schools in Alaska. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. We included liberal arts colleges and research universities as well as small, midsize, and large institutions. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.

The colleges on our list are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), a reputable organization that examines the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of education programs in the northern United States.

We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for on-campus students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.

The Top 50 Colleges in Alaska

Best Colleges In Alaska
01
Intelligent Pick
University of Alaska Fairbanks
01
Best Legal Studies Program
University of Alaska Anchorage
01
Best Outdoor Studies Program
Alaska Pacific University
01
Best for Online Students
University of Alaska Southeast

 

What You Should Know About Graduating From College in Alaska

When selecting a college in Alaska, you should consider how the school’s degree program will prepare you for a future career in the state. As of October 2021, the five largest industries for employment in Alaska were government; trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; goods-producing; and retail trade.

For workers who hold a bachelor’s degree, the five fastest-growing careers in Alaska are aerospace engineers, fundraisers, airline pilots and flight engineers, computer hardware engineers, and computer network architects. Selecting a degree that’s relevant to one of these fields could make you competitive in a quickly expanding job market.

Many of Alaska’s major employers are in the above-mentioned industries and need workers qualified for those career paths. A few of the state’s top 150 employers are Elmendorf Hospital, Alaska Native Medical Center, Corrections Department, and Alyeska Resort.

What’s Next?

As you research the best colleges in Alaska, take into account how you’ll pay for a degree. There are many financial aid opportunities that you may qualify for. Here are a few state and federal resources to help with your search for grants, scholarships, and other forms of financial aid:

  • Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education has a wealth of state-specific information available, including details about state grants, scholarships, and education loans.
  • Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Every year, the U.S. Department of Education gives out more than $120 billion in financial aid. These funds are primarily distributed via the FAFSA, which you can both check your eligibility for and apply for online.
  • CareerOneStop. Sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CareerOneStop provides information about scholarships and grants. The awards can be sorted by amount, deadline, and criteria, and you can browse ones that are available within Alaska.

 

Find Your Degree