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Best Bachelor's in Educational Leadership and Administration Programs in 2026

Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology

Published ·Last updated

All 4 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.0401.

Education leaders collaborating around a whiteboard during a planning session
4Programs analyzed
$11,352Median in-state tuition
52%Median graduation rate
  • In-state tuition typically runs from $10,080 to $14,024 a year, with a median near $11,352.
  • 2 of 4 ranked programs sit at public universities, and 3 offer an online or hybrid option.
  • We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
  1. 1

    University of Kentucky

    Lexington, KYPublicOnline available

    72score
    • 71%Grad rate
    • $12,109/yrIn-state tuition
    • $32,747/yrOut-of-state tuition
    • 93%Admit rate
    • 25,534Undergrads
    • 1Grads/yr
    • 1180SAT mid
    • Bachelor of Science in Leadership for Community Education and Human Learning
    • On-campus
    About the program

    The University of Kentucky's Bachelor of Science in Leadership for Community Education and Human Learning sits in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies. Students explore careers in community education and complete a capstone professional practicum, then select electives aligned to a focus area such as Community Health and Human Services, Youth and Adult Development, or Nonprofit Leadership and Extension. The program is offered on campus and welcomes transfer students, and it does not lead to teacher licensure. As a bachelor's degree in educational leadership and administration, it adds to the bachelor's-level educational leadership and administration options in Kentucky.

    Why it ranks here

    We rank on the things that actually shape a teaching degree: whether students finish, how hard it is to get in, and the price of admission. Its strongest card is completion: a 71% graduation rate lands it in the top 1% of programs nationwide, and since finishing counts for the most, that does much of the work. Admission is close to open access at 93%, so this is a program that bets on teaching students well rather than screening them out. The one drag is price, $12,109 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Strong on the measures that matter most, it earns a place near the top.

    Program page
  2. 2

    Rasmussen University-Minnesota

    St. Cloud, MNPrivate for-profit

    62score
    • 53%Grad rate
    • $10,595/yrTuition (in or out of state)
    • 8,633Undergrads
    • 24Grads/yr
    • Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education - ECE Leadership Specialization
    • Online
    About the program

    Rasmussen University's fully online Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education with the ECE Leadership Specialization is built for people who want to lead in early learning settings rather than step into a licensed public school classroom, and the university is clear that this path does not prepare graduates for public school teaching licensure. The 90 credit degree runs across 23 courses and can move quickly, in as few as 18 months, depending on how much a student transfers in and how heavy a load they carry. Its leadership focus leans into administration, management, ethics, and communication, the practical toolkit of running a program, while those drawn to the classroom side can choose the Child Development Specialization instead. Because it builds on prior study, entry expects an associate's degree or at least 60 quarter credits, and credentials such as the CDA can waive credit. Students may also qualify for T.E.A.C.H. scholarship support. It is a bachelor's degree in educational leadership and administration at the bachelor's level, based in Minnesota.

    Why it ranks here

    Three things decide where a program lands on this list: how many students finish, how selective it is, and what it costs. Start with the outcome that matters most, 53% of students graduate, top 33% among programs nationwide, which is the biggest reason it sits where it does. Cost only helps its case: at $10,595 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. Strong on the measures that matter most, it earns a place near the top.

    Program page
  3. 3

    Purdue University Global

    West Lafayette, INPublicOnline available

    52score
    • 50%Grad rate
    • $10,080/yrIn-state tuition
    • $13,356/yrOut-of-state tuition
    • 31,224Undergrads
    • 112Grads/yr
    • Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration
    • Online
    About the program

    Purdue University Global's Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration is a fully online, 180 quarter credit hour degree housed under the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. It targets leadership and administrative roles in early childhood settings rather than classroom teaching, and the catalog states plainly that it is not intended for individuals pursuing a license to teach in a public or accredited private elementary school. A field experience component places students in a preschool, home childcare, or childcare center for project-based assignments, and the program prepares students for the Child Development Associate credential. It is a bachelor's degree in educational leadership and administration at the bachelor's level, based in Indiana.

    Why it ranks here

    Its rank is built from three numbers: graduation rate, admission rate, and in-state tuition, in that order of weight. On completion, the heaviest factor, it lands mid-pack among programs nationwide at 50%, solid without being a standout. Cost only helps its case: at $10,080 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.

    Program page
  4. 4

    Rasmussen University-Florida

    Ocala, FLPrivate for-profitOnline available

    15score
    • 42%Grad rate
    • $14,024/yrTuition (in or out of state)
    • 3,121Undergrads
    • 125Grads/yr
    About the program

    Rasmussen University offers a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education at its Ocala, Florida location, including an Early Childhood Education Leadership and Child Development specialization for students focused on program administration and child development. Coursework is available online. The Ocala campus moved to an expanded location in April 2024 and remains in operation. It is a bachelor's degree in educational leadership and administration at the bachelor's level, based in Florida.

    Why it ranks here

    Its place on the list comes down to outcomes, selectivity, and price, weighted in that order. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 42% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. The one drag is price, $14,024 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. Together, that is one of the strongest profiles on the page.

    Program page
How we rank

Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other programs in its specialty: graduation rate (50%), selectivity by admission rate (30%), and affordability by in-state tuition (20%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like. A program missing a field gets the neutral median for it, so it is neither rewarded nor punished. Earnings are intentionally excluded: federal per-school earnings are not yet published for education programs, and the field-level salary figure is identical for every school, so ranking on it would be meaningless. To keep the overall list from being dominated by a single state's public-university system, it shows at most 2 programs per state; the value, affordability, graduation-rate, and selectivity pages rank every program without that limit.

  • Graduation rate: 50%
  • Selectivity (admission rate): 30%
  • Affordability (in-state tuition): 20%

How much a bachelor's in Educational Leadership and Administration program costs

Published in-state tuition across the 4 ranked bachelor's programs typically runs from $10,080 to $14,024 a year, with a median near $11,352. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 2 of the 4 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.

Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.

Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid.

Ways to earn your bachelor's in Educational Leadership and Administration

A traditional four-year, on-campus bachelor's is the most common route into teaching, and for good reason: the degree leans on in-person field placements that build to a full term of student teaching. That said, 3 of the 4 ranked programs advertise an online or hybrid option, which can suit paraprofessionals and career-changers already working in schools; the clinical hours still take place in a real classroom near you.

You do not have to start at a four-year school. Many students spend their first two years at a community college, earn an associate's, and transfer in, which trims the cost of the early coursework, and statewide articulation agreements often guarantee the credits apply. If you already hold a bachelor's in another field, you can usually skip a second degree entirely and enter through an alternative-certification program or a master's-with-licensure route built for career-changers.

Whatever the format, the non-negotiable is supervised clinical practice. Every licensure-track program includes a student-teaching placement, and some now pair it with a paid, year-long residency alongside a mentor teacher, an increasingly common model that eases the unpaid-semester crunch traditional student teaching can create.

Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.

Data sources for our Bachelor's in Educational Leadership and Administration ranking

  • Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
  • Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.

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