Online learning provider RDI has announced a 59% increase in applications for undergraduate degrees.
The figures are based on RDI’s January intake and represent a year on year comparison. Total applications for all online courses - including degrees, diplomas, masters and MBAs – were up over 40%.
But it is the surge in undergraduate degree applications that is most notable – particularly when compared to UCAS figures which showed applications for traditional university places were up only 3.5% (based on the January 15thdeadline for 2013 cycle), on the back of a decline in 2012.
The increase in student interest in online degrees has come alongside a drop in the age of those interested in this method of study; the average age of an online degree student with RDI is now 24. Dr Philip Hallam, Chief Executive of RDI, believes the figures reflect a new era in education.
Dr Hallam said: “The increased interest we’ve had in our UK university accredited degrees is unprecedented, and I think reflects a combination of factors spanning finance, lifestyle and consumer trends.”
A key financial factor is changes to the student funding structure in favour of distance learners which, since September 2012, gives them the same entitlement to tuition fee loans as campus based learners.
Dr Hallam continued: “Although distance learning degrees are significantly more affordable than campus-based degrees –around a third of the cost with RDI – the fact that distance learners had to raise cash themselves to pay for courses upfront was a hurdle too far for many. With that obstacle now removed, online learning has become even more accessible.”
2012 saw RDI introduce its free taster module to allow people to find out if online learning is for them. RDI has also been working to make its course materials multiplatform compatible – extending resources to iPad and Kindle users.
Dr Hallam believes this too has had a significant impact on interest in online learning. He concluded: “People often view the education model as a bubble that exists independently of the outside world. That just isn’t true anymore. Consumer trends do impact on learning – people want services that fit around their life, not the other way around, and that is why distance learning continues to go from strength to strength.”
