The 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that online enrollment rose by more than twelve percent from a year earlier.  The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 3.94 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2007, the most recent term for which figures are available.

“We are still seeing double-digit growth,” said study co-author Elaine Allen, Research Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College.  “Yet schools report they are competing for students as online options expand.”

“Chief academic officers also say increasing fuel costs, unemployment, and the downturn in the economy are expected to drive further increases in online student enrollment over the next year,” she said.
 
The sixth annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group, the College Board and the Sloan Consortium, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States.  The complete survey report, “Staying the Course: Online Education in the United States, 2008” is available on the Sloan Consortium Web site, www.sloanconsortium.org. 

“In these tough economic times, with unemployment up and higher costs for heating and transportation, we will inevitably see the appeal of online education grow,” said Frank Mayadas, Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.  “The survey results demonstrate that online education is increasingly playing an important role in higher education.”

The Babson Survey Research Group in the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurial Research at Babson College conducts regional, national, and international research projects, including survey design, sampling methodology, data integrity, statistical analyses and reporting.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,400 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. More information can be found at www.collegeboard.com.

The Sloan Consortium is the nation’s largest association of institutions and organizations committed to quality online education and administered through Babson College and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.  Visit www.sloanconsortium.org.