Is the growth of online education in the United States the result of some sweeping phenomenon - an inexplicable renewed interesting in learning? Perhaps it can be attributed to new government legislation or programs? Probably not. What may be a more reasonable explanation for the rise in online enrollment numbers is that online education reaches more people than traditional teaching methods ever could. Students in rural areas, military personnel deployed overseas, and professionals with busy calendars now have access to a quality education that can fit into their schedules more easily.

According to the Sloan Consortium’s report, Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006, 62% of academic leaders rate the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face instruction. As enrollment statistics show, students are putting their faith in online learning to an even greater extent. Nearly 3.2 million students took at least one online course during the fall 2005, compared to 2.3 million students who were enrolled in a class in the fall of 2004, according to the report. And online education has been growing at a rate of about 20% each year. Enrollment numbers continue to climb each year as more students discover online learning and schools increase the resources they put into online education.

These increasing enrollment numbers reflect the desires of the 21st century student. According to USAToday.com, a recent study by the consulting and research firm Eduventures shows that 50% of those who expect to enroll in a higher education degree program would like to receive at least some of their education online.

Many public universities offering online programs have seen the most dramatic enrollments in recent years. Between 2001 and 2006, the University of Massachusetts’s online enrollment quadrupled. And in the spring of 2006, the online school had 9,200 students, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reported that Pennsylvania State University’s online program saw an 18% increase from 2005 to 2006.

The success of online education has intrigued candidates who would have never considered returning to school at a traditional university. ongress has taken steps in recent years to facilitate online education, passing new legislation which extends federal aid to online schools, for example. These factors have contributed to the spread of online education; an industry whose growth shows no signs of slowing any time soon.