Awards & Accolades

Franklin University has been named a Gold level designee of the 2022-2023 Military Friendly® Schools list. Schools earning the gold distinction were selected for their leading practices, outcomes, and effective programs.

The Military Friendly® Schools list has come to set the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses. This prestigious list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school.

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default Rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

Earning the 2022-2023 designation authenticates Franklin’s focus on supporting U.S. military veterans, service members and their spouses/dependents who wish to pursue a degree and receive the assistance they need to be successful.  Understanding the unique needs of these students has led the University to institute a number of support activities specifically designed to help our military, veteran and their spouses/dependents succeed in their educational goals. Support activities include priority registration, graduation cord designation, centralized advising and VA benefit support, and military and veteran specific scholarships.

Franklin University was named among the winners of Columbus CEO’s 2024 Best of Business Readers poll. The University received more votes than any other entrant in both the “Best MBA” and the “Best Continuing Education Offerings” categories. This year marked the magazine’s 17th annual recognition contest and Franklin’s fourth inclusion (2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024) among the top vote getters in last five years. 

The honors validate Franklin’s reputation among top MBA programs in the region and underscore the University’s track record for successfully delivering relevant educational options for professionals at every career stage. 

As a part of the central Ohio community for nearly 120 years and Ohio’s #1 adult-focused university, Franklin offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as certificates and skill-specific microcredentials aligned with market demand. 

Best MBA Program

Franklin University was named Best MBA by Columbus CEO readers in the publication’s Best of Business poll. 

Best Continuing Education Offerings

Franklin University was named Best Continuing Education Offerings by Columbus CEO readers in the publication’s Best of Business poll. 

Furthering the University’s reputation as an innovator and expert in online learning, Franklin has been ranked the #1 online school in Ohio by TheBestSchools.org.

Earning a number one online ranking puts the University at the top of an industry that has experienced enormous growth over the last decade. According to a 2015 report by Babson Research titled Tracking Online Education in the United States, today one out of three college students is taking at least one course entirely online.

Through Franklin’s International Institute for Innovative Instruction, the University leverages its inventive technology to implement its model of comprehensive and leading-edge curriculum development, created by doctorally prepared instructional designers, multimedia experts and teaching effectiveness experts. This course design to technology integration and learning assessment combines to create the ideal learning environment for student success. This approach has grown Franklin’s online presence from its first online class offering in 1998 to now serving students across the country, as well as international students from over 60 countries who are in the U.S. and abroad.

Institutions selected as the top among Ohio’s online colleges and universities were chosen based on the quality of their programs, types of courses and degrees offered, faculty strengths, as well as school awards, rankings, and reputation, including a strong reputation for online degree programs. The ranking are compiled to provide insight into which institutions are leading the way in delivering quality online degree programs in Ohio.

Thebestschools.org provides ranking, degree, and career articles to empower students to make informed decisions about their education. Through its feature, resource, and magazine articles, TheBestSchools.org helps students gain the most out of their educational experience by finding the best school and degree programs.

Franklin University has again been designated a Top Performer in Military Advanced Education's 2017 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities. Honorees were selected by an independent panel of judges from the fields of both education and the military. Selections were based on each institution's favorable policies toward the men and women serving in uniform.

Military Advanced Education is the only magazine produced specifically for service members seeking to take advantage of the military education benefit. MAE covers issues and trends in distance learning and education as they specifically relate to military life, including innovative programs, military educational policy, financial aid, and coursework that offers special opportunities for military personnel.

The Franklin University MBA has received the "Highest Degree of Internationalization" ranking by Poland's Home and Market Magazine. Rankings were based on reviews of highest position, education level, student development, and academic evaluation.

Universities large and small have felt the growing influence of a world market. Franklin University's Global Academic Programs are redefining the term "global" in terms of educational access, academic quality, and global sustainability. Designation of this ranking validates that a Franklin University education truly has global appeal.

Franklin University was ranked in the top 20 of the Online Education Database (OEDb) Online College Rankings. These rankings, produced by OEDb, a database of accredited online education programs, are based on data from eight metrics:

• Acceptance Rate
• Financial Aid
• Graduation Rate
• Peer Web Citations
• Retention Rate
• Scholarly Citations
• Student-faculty Ratio
• Years Accredited

Established in September 2006, OEDb: Online Education Database is an independent for-profit organization located in Houston, Texas, dedicated to building a comprehensive database of the top accredited online colleges and the degree programs that they offer.