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Recent MBA grads in the U.S. make a median of $125,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n But if going back to school full-time isn’t an option, there are ways to gain the earning potential of an MBA without relocating or breaking the bank.<\/p>\n University ranking site Research.com shared a recent list<\/a> of the most affordable online MBA programs with Entrepreneur <\/i>using data from the IPEDS database<\/a>, Peterson’s database<\/a>, College Scorecard database<\/a>, and the National Center for Education Statistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Online MBAs have grown in popularity over the past few years, with a 158% increase<\/a> in students from 2020 to 2021 during the pandemic.<\/p>\n “Online degrees have skyrocketed in popularity as they offer flexibility to balance your professional and personal life,” said the list’s author, Imed Bouchrika, co-founder and chief data scientist of Research.com. “These findings outline the most affordable options available, so you can achieve the degree you want no matter your financial situation.”<\/p>\n According to a 2023 survey<\/a> from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), professionals have shown steady interest in these programs, too. While the majority of respondents said they’d prefer to take classes in person, online programs drew interest from candidates who care most about flexibility, including women, first-generation collegians, and older students.<\/p>\n Some students considering online MBAs could see the degree as a way to “gain a promotion or secure a current job,” the GMAC study found \u2014 not primarily for networking opportunities.<\/p>\n Related: <\/b>How AI Is Changing Business School Curriculum, Accreditation<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Still, where you get your MBA may directly impact your earnings. The MBA programs with the highest average salaries<\/a> upon graduation, including Stanford University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University, were all in the top 15 of this year’s U.S. News Best Business Schools<\/a> rankings.<\/p>\n None of those schools are on this list; most cost more<\/a> than $200,000 to complete. Most of the below cost less than $10,000.<\/p>\n