New Hampshire Online Education Facts

The increased popularity of online education has prompted a number of studies, research projects and polls on its quality and relativity to traditional teaching programs, most of which reported favorable findings. Some facts and figures culled from these projects:

• People seeking a New Hampshire online education are more apt to be adults. Approximately 92 million adults in the United States, making up 46 percent of the population, take part in some form of online education to earn degrees, keep their skills current or learn new job skills.
• Nearly four million students were enrolled in at least one online course in 2007, the most recent year for which official statistics are available. That represents an increase of more than 18 percent over the previous year. According to some estimates, the current number of online students has now ballooned to somewhere between five and six million.
• Well over 90 percent of public institutions--including several New Hampshire schools--now offer online education programs, while nearly half of postsecondary schools offer online degree programs.
• A 2007 poll of chief academic officers across the nation reveals 62 percent of them believe that obtaining a New Hampshire online education is at least equal to, and sometimes superior to, traditional classroom learning.
• A poll of the country's top employers shows that 86 percent of them have no issues with hiring someone with an online degree. Additionally, 85 percent of the employers that were polled said they feel online degrees are more acceptable than they were five years ago.
• The 2001 book, "The No Significant Difference Phenomenon," which compiled the findings of 355 in-depth studies, reports and summaries on online education, determined traditional schools and Internet-based schools produce "no difference" in academic achievement.
• During the last election, a poll conducted by the National Education Association found that 65 percent of student voters cited college affordability as an important election issue. 34 percent said it was the most important issue.
• Over the last five years, the number of students enrolled in New Hampshire online education programs and others across the country has more than doubled.
• In spite of online education's far-reaching nature, more than 80 percent of all online students are enrolled in Internet-based courses offered by institutions that are physically located within 50 miles of their homes.
• Just over half of the students enrolled in New Hampshire online education courses are seeking Associate of Arts degrees, followed, in descending order, by master's degrees, doctorates, specialized degrees and Bachelor of Arts degrees. Statistics for students enrolled in other states are nearly identical.