BURLINGTON, VT - GetEducated.com, the consumer's rating guide to online colleges, has released its biennial rankings of the best online business schools, http://www.geteducated.com/online-college-ratings-and-rankings, for cost-conscious consumers seeking top quality online MBA degree programs.

The University of Mary earned a Top 30 ranking as a Best Buy among online business schools nationwide that hold regional accreditation.

The university ranked No. 30 in value among 201 competing online MBA programs (http://www.geteducated.com/online-college-ratings-and-rankings/best-buy-lists/best-buy-mba-regional).

"The University of Mary's rating as a Best Buy among online MBA programs honors the institution as a nationally ranked leader in the field of online education. Their online master's in business administration program offers a top-quality education not just to the residents of North Dakota but also to all online students nationwide. The business school at the University of Mary is a laudable model for how small, private universities can, with vision and determination, combine the quality of a traditional residential university with cutting-edge technology to develop innovative new models of higher education," says Vicky Phillips, founder of GetEducated.com.

"The Get Educated Best Buy ranking awards honor the University of Mary as offering one of the best online graduate business school programs in America for working executives who seek top-quality, affordable ways to continue their professional education online," says Phillips, who in 2009 was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as "for 20 years the leading consumer advocate for online college students."

"The University of Mary online MBA program, which offers six concentrations - accountancy, health care, energy management, executive, human resource management and general management - costs 20 percent less than the national average of competing peer business programs, making this small, private university an undisputed leader in the movement to leverage online learning to create a more affordable higher education system that sacrifices nothing in terms of instructional quality."

"Meeting the needs of students through education and an experience founded in our Benedictine values for all who enter our MBA programs represents the essence of who we are at the University of Mary," commented Dr. Jim Jones, vice president of Continuing and Professional Education. "It is both an honor and privilege to meet the needs of the students and to continue the vision established by our sponsors, the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery."

The Get Educated online learning affordability project brings transparency and choice to the process of helping consumers find and compare the best online degree programs in the United States among 3,000 competing online degree programs.

About: Founded in 1989, GetEducated.com publishes independent reviews and rankings of the best online universities in the United States along the consumer dimensions of affordability, student satisfaction, and national reputation. Get Educated builds free tools that help online students compare online learning programs for cost and quality before they enroll.

LOCAL CONTACT: Tom Ackerman, University of Mary, director of communications (701) 355-8002.

NATIONAL CONTACT: Vicky Phillips, CEO, GetEducated.com, Burlington, VT. 05451. 802-899-4866. Website: http://www.geteducated.com