BUTLER TWP — Butler County Community College has been ranked as one of the best schools in the state for online courses, according to a study done by OnlineColleges.com.

The news that BC3’s distance education program ranks 13th out of the 117 online programs in Pennsylvania was announced Wednesday at a board of trustees meeting by President Nick Neupauer.

OnlineColleges.com, based in Foster City, Calif., used the national Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and gave BC3 a score of 73.07 out of 100.

The website used the following data to rank the online schools: number of programs offered via distance education, percentage of students in online classes, average in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition for 2014-15, total electronic library collections, availability of career counseling services, availability of job placement services for graduates, and if the school offers dual credit, credit for life experience, advanced placement credit and credit for military training.

BC3 has 850 students enrolled in online courses, with 290 of those from outside of Butler County, including Washington, Centre and Erie counties, Neupauer said.

In 2014, about 23 percent of BC3’s students took online courses.

Of the 735 classes offered this fall at BC3, 84 are online-only and 10 are hybrid courses, which include an online component, as well as classroom learning.