Coastal Carolina University has been named one of the Best Online Colleges in South Carolina for 2016-2017 by Affordable Colleges Online (ACO), a resource for online learning and college affordability information.

"This recognition from ACO is a wonderful acknowledgment of all the hard work and dedication put forth by our faculty and the staff who support our online learning initiative on the CCU campus," said Sherri Restauri, director of Coastal Office of Online Learning (COOL).

CCU, ranked at No. 3, placed above Clemson University on the list. Clemson was No. 6, and the University of South Carolina-Upstate was ranked No. 5.

The online student population in the country is now more than 7 million, including more than 70,000 students in South Carolina enrolled exclusively in distance education courses, according to a recent study by the Babson Survey Research Group.

CCU has 3,670 online students enrolled, with 3,251 undergraduate and 419 graduate students taking online courses.

"We wanted to highlight the schools in each state that are driving innovative learning and meeting demands of students," said Dan Schuessler, CEO and Founder of AC Online. "These schools are not only offering great programs, but they have expanded their program excellence to the much-desired online environment."

For a university to qualify, it must be a public institution and offer at least three online bachelor degree programs with an annual tuition fee of less than $25,000. The schools are then evaluated based upon published tuition fees, the percent of full time undergraduate students receiving financial aid, the number of online programs offered and student to teacher ratio. CCU scored a 99.33 percent ranking third in the state of South Carolina.

For more information on the Best Online Colleges for 2016, visit affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/south-carolina/.