The statistics don’t lie. Earning a degree fully online has become more popular than ever. Here are the top early stats for 2026 that all primarily online institutions should be paying attention to…
Crossing a Quarter: 25% of all college enrollees attend class fully online.[1]
Borders Aren’t Boundaries: More than 1.6 million “out of state” students enrolled in a fully online school.[2]
Adults Lead: The average age of a fully online degree enrollee is 31.5 years.
Student Choice: 73% of students prefer online learning over in-person classes.[3]
What They Study: Among the most popular fully online degree programs are psychology and criminal justice.
Reasons for Fully Online: The top reasons adult learners choose fully online college are access, convenience and flexibility.[4]
Growth: The online learning market is growing at a 14.1% compound annual growth rate to 2029.[5]
Competition Stat 1: 88% of institutions plan to expand fully online degree offerings this year.[6]
Competition Stat 2: 98% of all higher education institutions now offer some form of fully online degree program.[7]
Competition Stat 3: 80% of chief online learning officers say the marketplace for new student enrollments is growing more competitive.[8]
Competition is Heating Up
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[1] What Percentage of U.S. Students Study Fully Online in 2025? – North American Community Hub
[2] New Report: Steady Out-of-State Online Enrollment Reflects Continued High Demand for Online Learning – NC-SARA Homepage
[3] Online Learning Statistics 2026 Report: Trends, Growth, ROI & Costs
[4] Student Motivations for Choosing Online Classes
[5] E-Learning Market in US Growth Analysis – Size and Forecast 2025-2029 | Technavio | Technavio
[6] Nearly 9 in 10 Colleges Plan to Expand Online Programs as Student Demand Soars, New Report Finds
[7] Accredited Online Colleges with Large Number of Online Students
[8] Trends in Online Learning That Are Reshaping Higher Education