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The Ultimate Guide for Students Studying Online

ONLINE COLLEGE STUDENT GROWTH AND DEMOGRAPHICS

Did you know that online enrollment numbers have increased by 17%, despite overall higher education enrollments dropping by 4.4%? See the growth statistics and current demographics of online college students in part one of the Online College Student Trends in the U.S. Infographic series.

Online College Students...Are Growing in Number

31% (6.4 million) of all U.S. college students are enrolled in at least one or more online classes
  • 15% take all of their classes online
  • 16% take some classes online
In fact, online college enrollments grew by 17% between 2012-2016 despite overall higher education enrollments dropping by 4.4%
Are Likely To Attend an Online Public College
Of the over 3 million students taking exclusively online classes
  • 52% attend a public college
  • 25% attend a private, non-profit college
  • 24% attend a private, for-profit college
Who Are Online College Students?
Gender
  • Undergraduate – 75% female, 25% male
  • Graduate – 64% female, 46% male
Marital Status
  • Undergraduate – 57% single
  • Graduate – 60% married or partnered
Children
  • Undergraduate – 45% have children
  • Graduate – 55% have children
Race
Undergraduate
  • 63% Caucasian
  • 15% African American
  • 10% Hispanic
  • 8% Asian or Pacific Islander
Graduate
  • 67% Caucasian
  • 11% African American
  • 10% Asian or Pacific Islander
  • 8% Hispanic
Income
  • Undergraduate – 47% make less than $39,000 a year
  • Graduate – 48% make less than $69,999 a year
Employment
  • Undergraduate – 49% employed full time
  • Graduate – 71% employed full time
Where They Work
Undergraduate
  • 16% office and admin support
  • 12% healthcare support
  • 10% management
  • 9% personal care and service
Graduate
  • 19% education, training, and library
  • 16% management
  • 10% healthcare support
  • 8% office and admin support
Enrollment Status
  • Undergraduate – 64% enroll in school full time
  • Graduate – 61% enroll in school full time

ONLINE COLLEGE STUDENT GROWTH AND DEMOGRAPHICS

Did you know that online enrollment numbers have increased by 17%, despite overall higher education enrollments dropping by 4.4%? See the growth statistics and current demographics of online college students in part one of the Online College Student Trends in the U.S. Infographic series.

Online College Student Trends

PART TWO: WHERE THEY LIVE AND WHAT THEY STUDY OVER 3 MILLION COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE U.S. TAKE 100% OF THEIR CLASSES ONLINE

Where do they live?

Online Undergraduate Students

Are more likely to live in the same U.S. state as their online college
  • 61% same state
  • 36% different state
  • 1% outside the U.S.
  • 2% unknown
Online Graduate Students
Are more likely to live in a different U.S. state than their online college
  • 43% same state
  • 54% different state
  • 2% outside the U.S.
  • 1% unknown
Top 10 States With The Most 100% Online College Students
State # of Students Enrolled % Enrolled
California 686,919 11.0%
Texas 509,971 8.00%
Florida 463,338 7.30%
Arizona 372,970 5.90%
New York 216,949 3.40%
Ohio 213,185 3.30%
North Carolina 210,599 3.30%
Illinois 206,464 3.20%
Virginia 204,752 3.20%
Philadelphia 191,030 3.00%
What are they studying?
Undergraduate
  • Business: 26%
  • Health & Medicine: 16%
  • Computers & IT: 15%
  • Arts & Humanities: 12%
  • Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Law: 9%
  • Science, Tech, Engineering, Mathematics: 9%
  • Education & Teaching: 8%
  • Counseling, Human Services: 4%
Graduate
  • Business: 26%
  • Computers & IT: 20%
  • Education & Teaching: 14%
  • Health and Medicine: 12%
  • Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Law: 9%
  • Science, Tech, Engineering, or Mathematics: 7%
  • Arts and Humanities: 6%
  • Counseling, Human Services: 5%
How are they studying?
On Their Mobile Phones
Online college students use mobile devices for
  • 40% most, if not all of their coursework
  • 40% complete readings
  • 41% complete assignments
  • 40% access their Learning Management System (LMS)
67% of these students report being satisfied with the way their online course materials were presented
How did they find their online college?
80% report using a mobile device when searching for their online school

HOW ONLINE STUDENTS CHOOSE THEIR ONLINE COLLEGE

Did you know that online college students request information from an average of 2.7 schools and that 61% of them enroll at the first school that responds to them with their requested info? See how students choose their school in Part Three of the Online College Student Trends in the U.S. Infographic series.

Online College Students... Are Expanding Their College Search

Expanding For
  • Online college students request information from 2.7 schools, on average
  • More students are contacting or requesting info from three or more schools. In 2016 only 18% of online college students requested info from three or more schools. That amount grew to 30% in 2017.
  • The number of students who contacted only one college for info has decreased. In 2016, 30% requested info from only one college. That amount decreased to 18% in 2017.
Are Quick to Decide Where to Apply
  • 28% apply to an online college within two weeks of beginning their search
  • 32% apply to an online college within two to four weeks of starting their search
61% enrolled with the first school that responded to them with the information they requested
Choose Their Online College Based on Interests, Cost, and Quality
Students said that the single most important reason they chose their school was that it:
  • 25% it best matched their interests/needs
  • 19% it was the only school they considered
  • 15% it was the least expensive
  • 15% it offered the best value (cost, reputation, and convenience)
  • 14% it had the best reputation
Almost 90% of online college students said they would have been somewhat swayed to choose one college over another for as little as a $500 annual scholarship
Wish They Would Have Selected Their College Differently
Current and past online college students said…
  • 40% wouldn’t change anything about their online college selection process
  • 60% wish they would have done their online college selection process differently
What the 60% wishes they would’ve done differently:
  • 23% wish they had investigated more schools
  • 17% wish they had learned more about tuition and fees
  • 16% wish they had known more about their financial aid package
Prefer Online Learning To On-Campus Learning
  • 50% claim they definitely, probably, or may not have have enrolled in their current degree program if it were not offered online
  • 90% who have also taken on-campus classes feel their experience in an online course is “better or the same” as their on-campus experience
UPON GRADUATING
  • 72% said their online degree was worth their time
  • 69% said it was worth the monetary investment
  • 57% would enroll in another online degree in the future
note: those who did not want to enroll in another online degree cited not needing any additional education as the main reason
Desire to Be a Part of Their Online College Community
  • 50% say interaction with teachers and classmates is important
  • 25% say more contact with instructors and classmates in online courses is needed
  • 59% travel to campus between one to five times per year to
ONLINE STUDENTS THAT TRAVEL TO CAMPUS, GO THERE FOR:
  • Meet with an instructor
  • For administrative purposes
  • To meet a study group
  • Use a library or lab
  • Attend an information or classroom session

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