Brandman University is ranked eighth for providing one of the best online undergraduate programs in the country.

The annual college survey was conducted by U.S. News & World Report, an American news magazine. Brandman is the only Californian University to feature in the magazine's top 10 list.

"This acknowledgement from U.S. News is certainly something to celebrate for faculty, staff and students alike," Brandman University Chancellor Gary Brahm said in a statement. "We are focused on delivering an innovative online curriculum to meet the needs of busy working adult students, providing valuable degrees when they graduate."

The magazine reported that 860 online programs and their academic quality were graded for the ranking list. Additional data was acquired from the American Association of University Professors, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Council for Aid to Education, and the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.

Every year, around 12,000 students from across the country join Brandman's varied online programs at 26 campus locations in California and Washington.

"These are the best online bachelor's degree programs, based on factors such as graduation rates, indebtedness of new graduates, and academic and career support services offered to students. With the number of schools offering fully online degree programs nearly double what it was 10 years ago... more students can unlock the benefits of higher education without quitting their jobs or uprooting their families," U.S. News education reporter Kelsey Sheehy said in a statement. "U.S. News aims to help students evaluate their options with the 2013 Best Online Education Programs rankings."

The graduation rate at the University is 70 percent, which is two times the national average.

"It remains very challenging to get the word out, but we hope that through rankings and word of mouth and our student's success, we will attract other students. We believe in our students' success regardless of whether it's online or on the ground. We use the same software, train our faculty in the same way, and offer all of the same support services," Brahm said.

Brandman graduate programs in business and education were also named among the top online programs by the U.S. News report.