The 2023 Online College Students Report from the education research and marketing company EducationDynamics, which polled 3,022 current and prospective online students in the U.S. at both undergraduate and graduate levels, found that about 87 percent of respondents relied on college websites to research academic program options. However, the report noted, fewer than 40 percent of students found information “very easy” to find on school websites, leading them to look on social media for more information.
The report found that the most important factor for online students is the cost of tuition and fees, but only 24 percent of online college students said they could easily find information about fees on college websites, and only 30 percent found it very easy to find tuition costs. The report coincides with widespread concerns among U.S. colleges and universities about enrollment, which declined by more than 7 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to data from the nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
"These statistics should act as an eye opener for colleges and universities. Our research clearly shows that school websites are a valuable tool for online students, but schools are not providing the information or user experience that prospective students require," EducationDynamics CEO Bruce Douglas said in a public statement about the report, which highlights how colleges and universities can better reach and engage current and future online students.
The EducationDynamics report also gave a detailed look into the demographics, marketing and enrollment trends among online learners. It noted that 43 percent of online undergraduate students are younger than 25, adding that 80 percent of online students reported either part-time or full-time employment while continuing their studies. While online learning has often been discussed as a means of bringing more underserved and non-white student populations into the higher ed fold, the report noted that graduate online college students are most often white women between 30 to 35 years of age who are not of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin, about half of whom are single with no children living at home. It added that they are often from suburban areas and employed full time, with up to six years of work experience and a median household income of $64,600. Most are not the first in their family to enroll in college.
The report also noted that graduate online students are more likely to stay in their current employment field than undergraduate online students, adding that graduate students are more likely to enroll in programs that are directly related to their current employment (51 percent) than undergraduate online students (40 percent). Over 50 percent of respondents said they enrolled primarily to start a new career.
The two most influential marketing activities for students searching for schools and programs to enroll in, according to the report, were in-person events (38 percent) followed by online events such as webinars, online tours and online social events, which were cited by 35 percent of respondents. About 25 percent of respondents said search engines influenced their enrollment decisions, with half preferring to contact schools for information via email, highlighting the need for a variety of contact methods to attract students.
The report concluded that the number of students enrolled in full-time online undergraduate and graduate programs will continue to grow in the years to come, adding that the number of undergraduate students enrolled only in online study was 91 percent higher in 2021 than in 2017. The report estimated that nearly 5.7 million students are now enrolled in full online programming.
“Online college students will continue to enroll in career-focused study. Whether getting started in a new career or advancing in a current career, prospective online students must understand how your institution will help them meet these two primary goals. In advertising and through personal contact, meeting prospective student career preparation goals must be of primary consideration,” the report stated, pointing in particular to growing student interest in health sciences and technology-related fields.
