The Best Affordable Online AI & ML Master's Degrees (Most Under $10K)
If you ask most people what an online AI master's costs, they'll guess the same thing they guess about any master's: "a lot." The data disagrees. Right now our catalog contains 17 online master's programs priced under $10,000 — with 46 online master's total, more than a third of them in that cheapest tier. And several of those are from research universities with excellent editorial value ratings.
Here are the strongest ones, graded using the site's value rating (an editorial measure of cost-to-quality: excellent = outstanding, good = reasonable, fair = high cost relative to alternatives).
1. Georgia Tech — Online MS in Computer Science (OMSCS), ML Specialization
- Cost tier: Under $10K — rated excellent
- Why it wins: The gold standard of affordable online CS degrees. It is the same degree as Georgia Tech's on-campus MS, delivered by the same faculty, at a fraction of the price. The ML specialization is one of the most popular tracks, with a massive peer network to show for it.
2. University of Texas at Austin — Online MS in Machine Learning
- Cost tier: Under $10K — rated excellent
- Why it wins: A dedicated ML degree from a top-tier CS school, without a premium price. UT Austin also offers a broader MS in AI (rated excellent in the $10K–$30K tier) if you want the generalist route.
3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — MCS Online (Data Science & ML)
- Cost tier: Under $10K — rated excellent
- Why it wins: UIUC is a computing powerhouse, and its online MCS with a Data Science & ML track slots into the cheapest tier while carrying the university's brand. Strong fit for applicants who want a recognizable name without the price tag.
4. Arizona State University — Online Master of Computer Science
- Cost tier: Under $10K — rated excellent
- Why it wins: ASU is the most-flexible big-player here. Their online MCS is well established, and the platform experience is easy to manage around a full-time job — which matters more than people think for a part-time degree.
5. University of London — Online MSc in Machine Learning and Data Science
- Cost tier: Under $10K — rated good
- Why it wins: The value rating is "good" rather than "excellent," but the program is worth a spot on this list for its genuinely international cohort and competency-friendly structure — a lighter admission bar than some US programs while still being an MSc from a reputable university.
What "excellent" actually means here
Our ratings compare each program to its alternatives: a lower total cost, a stronger curriculum-to-price ratio, or a better placement track record. You can browse every catalogued program, filter by cost tier and format, and compare ratings on the site's program listings. Prices are catalogued as cost tiers — check current tuition on the program's page before applying.
The other cheap rungs of the ladder
Worth knowing: affordability doesn't stop at master's degrees. The catalog also holds 47 free programs (university courses, MOOCs) and 145 certificates, many of them rated excellent. For someone early in the journey — or unsure whether they want the degree at all — a free course or a certificate is a low-risk way to test the material before committing to two years and $10K.
Catalog statistics and value ratings reflect the ML Degrees database at the time of writing.