The Online College Revolution Infographic

The Internet has changed how we live in nearly every conceivable way; why should college education be any different? In fact, online education is truly revolutionizing the higher education landscape. Online learning has already disrupted higher education, as more and more colleges react to student demand by offering classes online. And as our technological capacity expands and classes get better and better, there’s no reason to see the online college revolution as a temporary one.

Access

With a modem as the only prerequisite, more students have access to higher education, and students have access to a wider variety of courses. This makes online college hugely popular.

12.5% college students enrolled exclusively online or in distance learning.
23% Students taking at least one course online in 2008 and 45% in 2013.
Only about 3% of higher education institutions offer a massive open online course (MOOC) currently. But almost 1 in 10 are developing MOOCs.

Top countries by enrollment (outside U.S.)

Online education attracts those from all over the world. For instance, Harvard’s MOOC program has drawn enrollment from around the globe.

India: 244,472 enrollments
China: 100,337 enrollments
UK: 120,509 enrollments
Canada: 99,434 enrollments
Brazil: 73,511 enrollments

Quality

As online education matures, more educational leaders are giving their votes of confidence to online college.

Online as good or better than brick-and-mortar:
- 2003: 57.2%
- 2014: 74.1%
Online classes are critical to institution’s long-term strategy:
- 2002: 48.8%
- 2014: 70.8%