Online Education up 17 Percent to 4.6 Million;

Annnual Survey Shows Recession, Influenza Among Factors Driving Growth

The 2009 Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that enrollment rose by nearly 17 percent from a year earlier. The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2008, the most recent term for which figures are available.

"Online enrollments in U.S. higher education show no signs of slowing," said study co-author Jeff Seaman, Co-Director of the Babson Survey Research Group at Babson College. "More than one out of four college and university students now take at least one course online."

The seventh annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group, the College Board and the Sloan Consortium, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States. The complete survey report, "Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009" is available on the Sloan Consortium Web site, http://www.sloanconsortium.org . The report includes a detailed analysis of the factors driving the growth in online education.