UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has been ranked No. 1 for the best online bachelor’s degree programs by U.S. News and World Report for the second year in a row.

The 2016 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs rankings, released Tuesday, Jan. 12, considered 300 colleges and universities across the country that offer online undergraduate education. At Penn State, online programs are offered through Penn State World Campus.

U.S. News weighed student engagement, faculty credentials, academic services and reputation. World Campus received a perfect score of 100 in the U.S. News methodology and shared the No. 1 ranking with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide.

World Campus also received the No. 1 ranking in 2015, and in 2014, it was ranked third.

Penn State World Campus’ online graduate programs in business, computer information technology, education and engineering also ranked in the top 10 for the second straight year.

“Penn State strives to provide access to high-quality college degrees, and our online programs through the Penn State World Campus are an important part of our goal,” said Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost. “It is a tremendous honor for Penn State to be recognized once again as a national leader in online education.”

World Campus’ placements in the 2016 U.S. News rankings are:

No. 1 (tie), best online bachelor’s programs

No. 4, best online graduate engineering programs

No. 4, best online graduate computer information technology programs

No. 6, best online graduate education programs

No. 7, best online MBA programs

No. 7 (tie), best online graduate business programs

Penn State launched the World Campus in 1998 with four online programs and 41 students. Over the past 18 years, the number of online offerings has grown to more than 125 online degrees and certificates, and the number of students stands at more than 12,000 across the globe.

“Today almost every major university participates in the online education arena,” said Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach and vice provost for Online Education. “Penn State World Campus earned this huge honor because each day, our faculty, staff, and academic leaders work hard to ensure that we are providing an outstanding and rigorous learning experience for our adult learners around the globe.”

For more information about Penn State World Campus’ online programs, visit its website.