You must have seen banner ads shouting, "Get ahead - earn your online degree FAST!" but it's difficult to answer the question: How quickly can I actually earn a college degree online?

So then, just how quickly can you expect to display "B.A." or "B.S." after your signature? Well, that depends on the following factors:

1. Transfer credit - The more college credits that you are able to transfer in towards a program, the faster you can earn your degree. If you don't have any previous coursework that you can use as transfer credit, you may be able to earn credits from professional training or by taking CLEP, DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support), ECE (Excelsior College Exams), GRE (Graduate Record Exams), or TECEP (Thomas Edison College Examination Program) tests. The amount of credit granted for these exams, as well as the exams that are accepted, will vary from school to school.
2. The level of degree - Want to complete a bachelor's degree online? Look into a “2+2” program. 2+2 programs are specially designed for associate’s degree holders. Students can usually apply all, or most, of the coursework completed for the associate’s degree toward the bachelor's degree and graduate in just two short years.
3. Expected course load - How many classes can you take in a single semester? Will you go through an entire program without taking time off between courses? Many colleges and universities offer classes in an accelerated format. Classes that run six, eight, or ten weeks long will allow you to earn your degree significantly faster than if you had to follow a traditional semester-based schedule. Also, consider schools that offer rolling admissions, so you don’t have to wait until September or January to get started.

Taking all of the above into consideration, it is possible to earn a legitimate, accredited college degree entirely online anywhere from twelve to eighteen months.