Students' obligations outside of class and their time frame for earning a degree play a role in the decision, experts say.
In one
2015 survey, the number of respondents enrolled in a full-time online
program surpassed the number of part-time online students.
Chris Dickie, a 2013 graduate of Arkansas Tech University's online master's degree program in college student personnel, finished his program in 18 months by studying full time while also working a full-time job. Had he completed the degree program part time, he says, it would have taken him roughly a year longer to finish.
"I really wanted to get it done," Dickie says.
For many degree-seeking online students, especially those balancing their education with job or family obligations, completing a program part time is the ideal path to take. But there are still those online learners, like Dickie, who feel that a full-time program might better meet their needs.
"Ultimately, it depends on their academic goals and other goals they have outside their academic responsibilities," says Evangeline Cummings, assistant provost and director of the University of Florida's UF Online, which offers online bachelor's degrees.
Different online degree programs vary in their ratios of part-time to full-time students, experts say. At UF Online, for example, approximately 60 percent of students are enrolled part time and 40 percent are full time, Cummings says.
One survey conducted by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House found that the proportion of respondents who were full-time online students dropped slightly in 2015 compared with the prior year. However, the survey found that full-time online students still outnumber part-time online students, a gap that had widened in the previous two years. In the 2015 survey, 61 percent of the respondents said they were enrolled full time while 39 percent were part time.
[Know your time management limits as a working full-time online student.]
Depending on an online program's enrollment options and requirements, students may be able to select either part-time or full-time status for each individual semester or for their entire duration at the institution, experts say. Whatever the case may be, prospective online learners should consider these factors as they decide which is right for them.
• Obligations outside the classroom: One of the most important factors in the decision boils down to how busy a student is beyond their online education and how much time they are willing to delegate to each of their responsibilities, experts say.
Full-time degree programs in general require more time in the classroom each week than part-time programs do. Though still a time-consuming feat, earning a full-time degree while working full time might become a little easier with the flexibility of distance learning, experts say.
"In many programs, you might do one course at a time or two courses at a time, and layering that on top of typical full-time work obligations can be challenging enough," says Sean Gallagher, chief strategy officer for Northeastern University 's Global Network, who develops and assesses online programs at the school. "But then as you go to greater numbers of courses, it becomes more of a juggling act."
Dan Stouffer, who earned his bachelor's degree online in 2014 from University of Maryland University College as a full-time student, is familiar with maintaining this balance. A former land surveyor, Stouffer decided to become a teacher but wanted to earn his degree as quickly as possible while also still working full time.
The 31-year-old assistant teacher in Maryland says he spent his days at his job and his nights working toward a degree, as his wife handled many of the household responsibilities.
[Understand the challenges of balancing online classes with work.]
"That was the main catalyst for my success and my ability to finish that degree while working full time and going to school full time," Stouffer, who is now pursuing a master's degree at UMUC part time, says of his wife's help.
• Time frame for earning an online degree: Online students should also determine how quickly they want to earn the degree, experts say, as part-time online programs will require more years to complete than will full-time programs.
"We have these conversations a lot with our students. They want to finish the degree for a particular purpose – sometimes it's career enhancement, so they are concerned with, to some degree, how quickly am I going to be able to complete this while still being successful?" says Laura Anderson, an admissions counselor for Pennsylvania State University—World Campus.
• How the choice will affect tuition and financial aid: Prospective online students – particularly those considering part time, which takes longer – should consider the fact that tuition at many institutions increases every year.
At some schools, part-time and full-time online programs can also differ in how much students pay for tuition, though this varies, experts say.
In undergraduate programs at Penn State—World Campus, students pay by the credit hour if they are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours in a given semester. Once they hit 12, which is considered full time for undergrads, there's a flat rate, Anderson says.
"They'd essentially get the difference for free," Anderson says.
[Ask these financial questions before getting an online degree.]
At UF Online, there's no difference in tuition based on solely part-time or full-time enrollment, Cummings says. But it gets a bit more complicated when it comes to financial aid and related matters.
"Our advice is that the student consult with their academic adviser and financial aid to determine the course load that's right for them," she says.
Trying to fund your online education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for Online Education center.