A recent article in USA Today suggests that more people than ever before are getting online degrees. So much so that four of the most popular schools used to obtain qualifications in education, are all schools that offer predominantly online degrees.

There are many reasons for this increase in students studying online. Firstly, most online schools offer substantially cheaper tuition rates compared to brick and mortar schools. This makes online education particularly appealing to students who don’t want to get into significant debt or have additional financial responsibilities such as mortgages and families to take care of.

Another key reason is the convenience of online education. For anyone who has to work full-time as they attend school, online education is much more convenient than attending night school or trying to fit day classes around a work schedule. Many online programs even allow students to work at their own pace, so they can finish their program whenever they’re ready.

Last but by no means least, many online schools are now just as accredited and reputable as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. For example, online schools such as CSU Global and Brandman University offer online degrees that are 100% accredited and taught by professors with years of experience in their fields. This accreditation demonstrates to employers that these online programs are taught by respected and recognizable schools and that their graduates could be a potential asset to their company.

The increase in students attending online programs just goes to show that a huge shift is taking place in higher education. Students no longer have to rely on a location based campus to earn a qualification and enhance their career options – they can now study wherever there’s an internet connection and usually for a lot less money. As time goes on, the amount of students studying online will likely only continue to skyrocket, perhaps overtaking brick-and-mortar schools all together.