Did you know that online enrollment numbers have increased by 17%, despite overall higher education enrollments dropping by 4.4%? See the growth statistics and current demographics of online college students in part one of the Online College Student Trends in the U.S. Infographic series.
Online College Students...
Are Growing in Number
31% (6.4 million) of all U.S. college students are enrolled in at least one or more online classes
- 15% take all of their classes online
- 16% take some classes online
In fact, online college enrollments grew by 17% between 2012-2016 despite overall higher education enrollments dropping by 4.4%
Are Likely To Attend an Online Public College
Of the over 3 million students taking exclusively online classes
- 52% attend a public college
- 25% attend a private, non-profit college
- 24% attend a private, for-profit college
Who Are Online College Students?
Gender
- Undergraduate - 75% female, 25% male
- Graduate - 64% female, 46% male
Marital Status
- Undergraduate - 57% single
- Graduate - 60% married or partnered
Children
- Undergraduate - 45% have children
- Graduate - 55% have children
Race
Undergraduate
- 63% Caucasian
- 15% African American
- 10% Hispanic
- 8% Asian or Pacific Islander
Graduate
- 67% Caucasian
- 11% African American
- 10% Asian or Pacific Islander
- 8% Hispanic
Income
- Undergraduate - 47% make less than $39,000 a year
- Graduate - 48% make less than $69,999 a year
Employment
- Undergraduate - 49% employed full time
- Graduate - 71% employed full time
Where They Work
Undergraduate
- 16% office and admin support
- 12% healthcare support
- 10% management
- 9% personal care and service
Graduate
- 19% education, training, and library
- 16% management
- 10% healthcare support
- 8% office and admin support
Enrollment Status
- Undergraduate - 64% enroll in school full time
- Graduate - 61% enroll in school full time
See more Online College Student Trends Infographics
- Part 2: Online College Student Trends: Where They Live and What They Study
- Part 3: How They Choose Their Online College
