Within the last five years or so, many universities have seen a decline in traditional student enrollment as more and more, many young people are turning to distance education in order to get an online bachelor degree. Many colleges do offer over seventy percent of their classes online, and there are even some schools where the coursework is done over the Internet entirely.
This trend is only expected to continue as students look to these universities to ease the burden of rising tuition, textbooks, parking, and on-campus living fees that force them to take out massive students loans, most of which put them in debt long after they have graduated. To lure students back, more and more traditional universities are offering a wider variety of classes online to keep students who are already enrolled and bring new ones into their institution.
While some university heads feel that online classes only serve to lose them money, in reality, offering an online bachelor or even an online master's degree has as many benefits for the college as it does for the student. The biggest advantage, of course, is that the more students that enroll, the more money the college will get in return because the increased enrollment will make up for the difference in price. It is true that online classes cost less, and that is why some universities, especially those steeped in tradition, have balked with offering them.
However, as technology trends continue and more and more young people are becoming connected and think globally, schools that offer online courses are more likely to catch their eye. In fact, when it comes to choosing a college, young students today who are looking to obtain bachelor degree are much more likely to consider a school that has classes available online.
Universities that offer degrees in higher education, (even those that have online doctorate degrees available) are also coaxing students to enroll because of the money they save by doing so. When a student enrolls in a traditional college, the fees for on-campus living, parking, and the cost of textbooks can cost on average anywhere from two to three thousand dollars, and that is after the cost of tuition.
By enrolling in distance education and receiving all of their materials online, students can save on these fees, which means they have to take out fewer student loans in order to finish their degree. This leads to fewer students dropping out of school because they can no longer afford it or causing them to drown in debt later, especially if they cannot find a job.
With the instances of students defaulting on their college loans on the rise, the lower cost of online classes is a definite draw for most universities today. The pace of technology is only growing faster, and the colleges that will succeed in keeping pace with them are the ones that will ultimately succeed in drawing new students into their ranks with online classes and degrees.