When you’re researching college options, one of the ways you can learn more about the schools you’re considering is to look at college rankings. In the past decade, one of the lists that has become most popular is the Times “Top 200 World Universities” list. Although there are a number of factors that you should consider when choosing a school, the Times list is a great way to learn about some of the best colleges located around the world.

Who is Times?

The Times college list is compiled by Times Higher Education, a weekly magazine based out of London. Times Higher Education has been in publication since 1971, and until 2008, it was in newspaper format. They first published a college list in 2004 in conjunction with Quacquaarelli Symonds (QS). 2009 was the final year for this partnership, and from 2010 on, the list will be published in conjunction with Thomson Reuters even fall.

Why should you Trust Times?

Although this list is relatively new, it is considered one of the best international college lists, along with the Academic Ranking of World Universities, which is compiled by China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Many see the break from QS as a good thing, as the methodology for creating the list will likely improve even more over the coming years.

What is their Methodology?

Over the next few years, we will likely see changes to the Times Higher Education college rankings, since the Thomson Reuters partnership will mean improvements to the methodology. Until the system is changed, however, following categories are used to rate all of the schools in the world:

• Peer Review Score
• Faculty/Student Score
• Citations/Faculty Score
• Recruiter Review Score
• International Faculty Score
• International Students Score

The main criticism with this methodology is that the peer review score is worth 40% of the total score. When colleges fill out their surveys, they are asked to rank other colleges, and unfortunately, some colleges give others unfair low rankings in order to potentially affect their own score.

In addition to ranking colleges around the world in a top 200 list, they also produce a number of smaller lists, where colleges are characterized by area of expertise. These categories are as follows:

• Engineering and IT
• Science and Biomedicine
• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Arts and Humanities

Time published its list both in their magazine and on their website, and they also have a number of resources analyzing the lists and talking about the results. Although we’ll likely see this methodology change over the next few years, the Times college rankings will continue to be one of the best ways that students and parents can learn about the best schools in the world. Remember, use this list and other college rankings as tools to help you pick a school, but not as an overall authority. You need to find a college that fits you well, and that means something different to every student.

With the current situation of our job market, employers' demands for individuals with college degrees is higher than ever. Earning a degree from an online college offers the affordability and flexibility that most brick-and-mortar campus-based colleges cannot offer. Below, we present the top onine colleges for 2010.

Top 10 Online Universities

	University of Phoenix — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Founded in 1976 as a upstart college, today the University of Phoenix is the largest private university in North America with students at over 200 campus locations and online learners studying dozens of programs all over the world.
	Ashford University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. The mission of Asford University is to foster a sense of accessible, flexible, and innovative learning in its student body. Ashford offers accelerated external degree program for adult learners in numerous subjects, including social sciences, criminal justice, technology, business, healthcare, and more.
	Boston University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Founded in 1839, Boston University is one of the oldest universities in the nation to offer online degree programs. With two main campuses in the city of Boston, dozens of study abroad programs around the world, and an online program available globally, Boston University's presence is second to none.
	Liberty University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Founded in 1971 by Rev. Jerry Falwell, Liberty University is the largest evangelical Christian university in the nation with an enrollment of over 20,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students.
	Walden University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Walden University has designed all of its online coursework for busy adult professionals who demand affordability and flexibility from their schooling. With degrees offered in several subjects, including healthcare, criminal justice, and business, Walden is sure to be a good fit for most students.
	DeVry University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. With approximately 100 campus locations across North America, DeVry University is one of the more well-known names in the online education industry. Originally founded in 1931, today DeVry offers most of its degree programs online. Subjects of study include business, science, IT, liberal arts, and more.
	Capella University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. "Knowledge means solving problems no one else can" is the official motto of Capella University. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Capella offers over 1,000 online courses in subject such as legal studies, criminal justice, business, IT, healthcare, education, and more.
	Kaplan University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. The online degree programs offered at Kaplan University are tailored to each student, customized for flexibilty so that students are able to study on their schedule. Kaplan offers more than 100 degrees in subjects ranging from business to criminal justice to nursing and more.
	Strayer University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Founded in 1892 as Strayer's Business College, today Strayer University boast an enrollment of over 50,000 students across the United States. Degrees are offered in business, computer technology, education, health administration, criminal justice, and more.
	Grand Canyon University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's and Master's. Frequently cited as one of the top online colleges in the United States, Grand Canyon University was originally founded as Grand Canyon College in 1949. Today, GCU offers dozens of degrees online in subjects such as nursing, healthcare, business, and more.
	Argosy University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and PhDs. Headquartered in Chicago, IL and with over a dozen campus locations nationwide, Argosy University provides accredited online degree programs for busy professionals in subjects including psychology, healthcare, business, and more.
	Westwood College — Degree Levels: Associate's and Bachelor's. Originally established in 1953, Westwood College is composed of 17 campus locations in six states and an online program offered through their Denver North campus. Programs of study offered online include business, criminal justice, fashion merchandising, healthcare, and more.
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