Online U Research: Popularity of Online Universities Rising

Half of a group of prospective college students who said they would be interested in taking an online course in the next 12 months also said they would like to enroll in a completely online degree program, according to a recent survey conducted by the American InterContinental University Online.

The survey also showed that 32 percent of the respondents favored a degree program that was mostly online but included some campus-based courses. Ten percent said they wanted a program that was primarily on campus, the survey showed. Eight percent wanted half online; half on campus.

Citing research by the Sloan Corsortium, AIU said that by 2006, about 3.2 million college students were enrolled in at least one online course, up from 1.6 million in 2003. Eduventures, an education sector research firm, said that by next year, one in 10 college students will be enrolled in an online university.

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About the Author

Paul McCloskey is contributing editor of Syllabus.

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