Enrollment in Online Schools is on the Rise

Sloan Consortium's 2005 annual review reported that enrollment for education online is rising. In fact, 2.35 million students pursued degrees or training over the Internet in 2004, compared with just 1.98 million students in 2003.
While the 18.7 % growth rate of enrollment in online schools between 2003 and 2004 was not as high as last year's increase of 22.9%, the increase is still impressive. In addition to major growth in online student enrollment, the study also found that over 56% of schools offering online education consider it a "critical long-term strategy."

What Do Online Schools Offer?

Generally, online schools offer programs that lead to anything from technical certificates to doctoral degrees, and larger numbers of students interested in continuing their educations online are taking advantage of these opportunities. When compared to more traditional types of continuing education, online schools prove to be competitive; in fact, Sloan's report suggests higher percentages of core faculty teach in these online environments than in face-to-face classes in more traditional settings.
As the quality of the education available online continues to improve, more and more people are turning to the Internet to get ahead.

Who's Getting Their Education Online?

The simple answer is people of every age group. Many of those signing on to get their education online are students aged 18 to 30. But these days, another age bracket is beginning to show up online in large numbers--the number of adults aged 31-50 who are interested in continuing their educations online is also growing.

Why Are Students Continuing Their Educations?

The Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Survey of the 2001 National Household Education Surveys Program investigated the "educational activities of adults in the United States." The study shows that over 41% of adults between the ages of 31 and 50 reported that they are continuing their educations at universities or colleges for work-related or personal reasons. With the growth of online education across the board, it's likely that a large number of these adults have also turned to the Internet to continue their educations.
No matter which age bracket you fall into, there has never been a better time to continue your education online. If you're looking for something more, you might find just what you need online.