A Roadmap to Online College Student Decision Making

A Roadmap to Online College Student Decision Making Understanding what resonates with the online student will help colleges and universities better serve this growing audience. The third annual research report on past, present and prospective online students reveals how they think about online education. Distance Is No Barrier to Education Less than 50 miles Student Proximity to Institution of Enrollment 50 to 100 miles More than 100 miles 2014 2014 Not sure 2012 2012 34% 31% 48% 25% 47% 48% 40% 35% 16% 16% Marketing Messages that Matter Undergraduate Graduate Cost Isn't the Deciding Factor Type of Message That Is Most Appealing Selected Least Expensive Institution 28% Career Opportunities 19% Personalization 66% No 17% I Speed to Degree 34% Yes 17% | Scholarships/Promotions Undergraduate 11% Quality/Reputation 79% No 8% Student Support 21% Yes Knowledge Empowers Decision Making Graduate Varied Thinking About Tuition Questions for Enrollment Advisor How Students Consider Cost How much does it cost? 64% How long will it take to complete? 60% How much financial aid can I get? 54% How many hours will it likely take each week to complete my work? 43% How much transfer 34% credit can I bring in? I never spoke with 5% an enrollment advisor. 38% 33% 24% 6% Other 2% Total Per Course Total Credit Certificate/ License Cost Per Degree Cost Fast Decisions for Faster Enrollment Length of Time from Search to Enrollment 2013 2014 51% < 3 months 77% 27% 3-6 months 13% 10% 7-9 months 3%| 10-12 months 3% I > 12 months 4% I Top 15 Fields of Study UNDERGRADUATE 22.5% Business Administration GRADUATE 5.1% Nursing 3.6% Information Technology 3.2% Criminal Justice 3.1% Early Childhood Education 2.8% Psychology 2.1% IMedical Billing 2.0% Accounting 2.0% Computer Science and Engineering 1.7% Social Work 1.6% |Health Information Technology 1.6% IWeb Development 1.5% [Health Administration 1.5% INetworks/Computer Networking Business Administration 4.3% INursing 3.0% Elementary Education 2.8% Educational Administration, K-12 2.7% Health Administration 2.5% Criminal Justice 21.3% 2.5% Psychology 2.5% Library Science 2.3% General Mental Health Counseling 2.1% Social Work 2.1% Special Education 2.0% Accounting 2.0% Educational Technology 2.0% |Secondary Education To download the full Online College Students 2014 report, visit www.learninghouse.com/OCS2014 LEARNINGHOUSE ASLANIAN MARKET RESEARCH POWHRED NT EduationDymanice Your Online Education Partner Sources: www.learninghouse.com | www.educationdynamics.com/market-research To download previous reports, visit www.learninghouse.com/resources/research 12% %4