American Women’s College at Bay Path Named Among Best Online Colleges

LONGMEADOW — Women have been completing their bachelor’s degrees at rates significantly higher than the national average since the inception of the American Women’s College at Bay Path University in 2013, thanks to its digitally enhanced learning model, SOUL (Social Online Universal Learning). This innovative approach to education has earned it recognition among the 2019 Best Online Colleges in America, as ranked by Niche.com. 

“With the American Women’s College’s fully online, accelerated schedule, credit for prior experiences, and generous transfer policy, many students are able to finally obtain an undergraduate degree that may have been in progress for many years,” said Amanda Gould, chief administrative officer. “Our adaptive coursework can help students refresh on content, as needed, on each student’s customized learning path, even if they have had to take breaks in their learning.”

Niche.com ranked colleges based on the following categories: academic excellence, overall value, strength of faculty scholarship, campus quality, diversity, student life, student surveys on overall experience, safety, and location. The university placed 20th on a list of nearly 500 colleges and universities, and is the only New England-based institution to place in the top 20. 

The SOUL model uses data-driven intervention strategies to help mitigate achievement gaps, and has been recognized with more than $5 million in support from industry thought leaders and organizations. SOUL was developed after the American Women’s College was awarded a grant through the First in the World competition administered through the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The four-year, $3.5 million award was used to develop and continually hone the program by improving educator access to learning data, allowing for targeted feedback and personalized guidance. SOUL has been recognized with several other grants and awards from national foundations, the federal government, and awarding agencies.

“The American Women’s College is focused on being responsive to students’ needs,” Gould said. “From accommodating complex lives with flexible delivery to using adaptive technology to create customized learning paths, to building an entire network of support and community, we try to find ways to meet students where they are and provide them the opportunity to change their lives with education.”