Greensboro, NC - Going back to college no longer requires even stepping foot into a physical classroom with the growth of online universities over the past decade.
Online universities now make up some of the largest educational institutions in the United States, the University of Phoenix being the largest, with over 380,000 students.
The benefit of online education is flexibility. Many online universities do not follow the traditional school calendar year and students can begin taking classes throughout the year, not just in August, December, or the summer.
However, online universities are not necessarily less expensive than brick-and-mortar schools.
A Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) costs about half as much as an equivalent degree from the University of Phoenix once costs for housing and food are taken out for UNCG.
The total tuition for the English degree from the University of Phoenix would cost $50,000, and tuition for the same degree at UNCG would cost about half as much at $24,000.
The same is true for an associate's degree locally. An associate's degree from Guilford Technical Community College costs about $20,000 less in tuition than the University of Phoenix.
The bottom line, research before going back to school what option, whether online or traditional, works best for you.
WFMY News 2