Online College Students 2014

Online Enrollment

*Source: IPEDS 2012

At Least One

Online Class

26%Not Online

74%

• 21,000,000 (100%) Total Students Enrolled in Undergraduate/Graduate Education

• 2,600,000 (13%) Enrolled Fully Online

Enrolled Fully Online

13%

3

About

1,000,000

NEW fully online students yearly

Yearly Enrollments

Market Trends in Online Education

2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2016 (est)

2.3m 3.5m

4.6m6.1m

9.9m10.8m*

780k1.2m 1.8m 2.1m

3.3m 3.4m*

Took at Least 1 Online Course Took All Courses Online

Copyright: Aslanian Market Research 2013

4

Number of Institutions Online

Institution TypeNo. with Fully

Online Programs Total Percentage

Public 4 year 438 687 63.8%

Private 4 year 558 1,567 35.6

For-profit 4 year 272 785 34.6

4-year Total 1,268 3,039 41.7

Public 2 year 446 1,046 42.6

Private 2 year 8 78 4.5

For-profit 2 year 107 1,030 10.4

2-year Total 561 2,254 24.9

2-year & 4-year Total 1,829 5,293 34.6

Source: IPEDS 2012

Study Sample

• 1,500 respondents drawn from national research-only panel

• U.S. census representative• Invited to participate via email• Qualification: 18 years of age and older• Minimum of a high school degree or equivalent• Recently enrolled, currently enrolled, or planning

to enroll in a fully online undergraduate or graduate degree, certificate, or licensure program

Gender

GenderUndergraduate Graduate

2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014

Female 74% 67% 71% 66% 53% 66%

Male 26 31 29 34 46 34

Prefer not to say -- 1 <1 -- 1 <1

Age

Age When Last Enrolled Percent18-20 4

21-24 13

25-29 18

30-34 16

35-39 13

40-44 12

45-49 8

50-54 9

55-59 5

60-64 2

65+ 1

%

35%

Median Age: 35

Income

Total Household Income PercentLess than $25,000 19

$25,000 - $39,999 19

$40,000 - $54,999 15

$55,000 - $69,999 12

$70,000 - $84,999 9

$85,000 - $99,999 7

$100,000 - $114,999 5

$115,000 - $129,999 2

$130,000 - $149,999 2

$150,000 or more 4

Prefer not to say 6

%

Median : $50,000

Employment Status

Employment Status

Undergraduate Graduate

2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014

Employed full time 48% 38% 38% 73% 76% 59%

Employed part time 24 20 20 16 10 18

Not employed 27 35 39 11 10 18

Retired 2 4 2 1 2 2

Prefer not to say -- 3 1 -- 3 3

Ethnicity

Ethnicity Undergraduate 2014 Graduate 2014

White 69 70

African American 16 12

Hispanic 7 8

Asian or Pacific Islander 4 7

Native American 1 1

Other 2 2

Prefer not to say 1 1

% %

Military Service

Military ServicePercent of Respondents

All Undergraduate Graduate

Veteran 7% 6% 8%

Spouse or dependent of veteran 5 4 6

Spouse or dependent of active duty military

3 3 4

None of the above 84 86 81

Intended Credential

OCS 2014 Eduventures Estimate

Associate’s Degree 24 29

Bachelor’s Degree 33 42

Master’s Degree 39 27

Doctorate 4 3

Certificate 10 --

Field of Study

GraduateUndergraduate

Top 10 Undergraduate Degree Programs

Degree Program 2014

Business Administration 1

Nursing 2

Information Technology 3

Criminal Justice 4

Early Childhood Education 5

Psychology 6

Medical Billing 7

Accounting 8

Computer Science and Engineering 8

Social Work 10

Top 10 Graduate Degree Programs

Degree Program 2014

Business Administration 1

Nursing 2

Elementary Education 3

Educational Administration, K-12 4

Health Administration 5

Library Science 6

Psychology 6

Criminal Justice 6

General Mental Health Counseling 9

Social Work 10

Poll

Do you think you have any unique or unusual programs?

Factors in Choosing an Institution

Importance to Selection of Program (choose up to 3) Percent

*^Overall reputation of the college or university 25%

*^Tuition and fees 24

*^No set class meeting times 19

*^Recognized in your field as a high quality college or university 14

*Students never have to visit campus during their study 13

* Among top 10 selection factors in the 2013 survey^ Among top 10 selection factors in the 2012 survey

Factors Determining Reputation

College Reputation Factors Undergraduate Graduate

It is accredited 72% 73%

Recognized in my field as a high quality institution 32 40

Recommendations of friends,colleagues, and relatives. 27 21

It has high academic standards 20 21

It holds a high ranking in the US News and World Report annual ranking

19 27

Comparing Online to Classroom

Percent of Respondents

All Undergraduate Graduate

Better 47% 50% 43%

About the same 43 41 48

Not as good 10 9 9

Consideration of Classroom or Hybrid/Low Residency Programs

Consideration of Hybrid/Low

Residency Program

Consideration of Classroom Program

Definitely not 12% 15%

Probably not 18 22

Not sure 40 28

Probably would 22 24

Definitely would 8 11

Why Not Classroom?

(Select all that apply)Percent of Respondents

All Undergraduate Graduate

Personal event prevented me from continuing 43% 45% 35%

I got a new job that prevented me from continuing 22 19 29

I moved 20 19 22

Cost 18 20 13

Classes weren’t available when I needed them 15 16 12

My interests changed 15 17 7

Other 9 9 9

Quality of the instruction 4 5 4

Proximity to Institution

Distance to Closest Campus or Service Center

Undergraduate Graduate

2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014

Less than 50 miles 47% 48% 48% 40% 35% 34%

50 to 100 miles 16 13 11 16 28 12

More than 100 miles 25 27 31 35 29 48

Not sure 12 12 10 9 8 7

Less than 50 miles 47% 48% 48% 40% 35% 34%

Transfer Credit

Transferable Credits

Percent of Undergraduate

Students 

Most 26%

All 26

Some 20

Few 13

None 8

I don’t know yet 7

Importance of Transfer Credits to Enrollment Decision

Online Program Worth Time and Money?

Good Financial Investment Undergraduate Graduate

Yes, completely 56 65

Somewhat 36 29

Not at all 8 5

% %

Worthwhile Time Investment Undergraduate Graduate

Yes, completely 59 72

Somewhat 34 24

Not at all 7 4

% %

Change in Employment Status

GraduateUndergraduate

Poll

• How long does it typically take at your institution from inquiry to enrollment?A. Less than 4 weeks

B. 5 to 8 weeks

C. 9 to 12 weeks

D. 3 to 6 months

E. 7 to 9 months

F. 10 to 12 months

G. More than 12 months

Length of Time from Online College Search to Enrollment

Undergraduate

Length of Time from Online College Search to Enrollment

Graduate

Appealing Marketing Message

All Marketing Messages Percent

90 percent job placement 25%

Earn your degree in one year 10

Study at your own pace 10

Free text books 9

Study only what you need to learn 6

Qualify for a $400 scholarship 5

Year round class offerings 4

Career assistance for life 4

Faculty have real world experience 4

Ranked among the best by U.S. News 4

Application Process

Funding Sources

GraduateUndergraduate

Thinking About Cost

Thinking About Cost Percent

Total Degree Cost 38%

Per Course 33

Per Credit 24

Total Certificate/License Cost 6

Select the Least Expensive?

GraduateUndergraduate

For More Information

Carol Aslaniancaslanian@educationdynamics.com

201.377.3321

Evaluation code: aslanianonline