eLearners.com Survey: Economic Crisis Spikes New Interest in Online Higher Education

Hoboken, NJ, December 04, 2008 --(PR.com)-- eLearners.com, a Web resource of EducationDynamics, has witnessed a 74 percent increase in unique visitors relative to last year with the majority of that growth coming recently on the heels of the economic crisis. In fact, in November, a seasonally low month for education inquiries, eLearners.com witnessed a spike in unique visitors of 138 percent compared to last year. The motivation, according to a survey of recent visitors to the site, is a need to remain competitive in their career with 33 percent saying either they need the degree to grow in their career or to compete and 44 percent indicating they want to start a new career.

“There are those who react and there are those who plan,” said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com. “What we seem to be seeing is a monsoon of planners who in anticipation of difficult economic times are preparing for their next career move. They are also seeking the convenience of online education.”

Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they intend to return to school within the next six months, with 75 percent indicating their preference for online programs because it “fits into their busy schedules.” Seventy-seven percent indicated that they need a diploma and/or need specialized knowledge to get the job they want. However, with nearly 33 percent of respondents making less than $30,000 per year and nearly 20 percent unemployed, paying for school may be an obstacle, particularly in the face of a credit crunch. In fact, 33 percent indicated they were unsure of how they would fund their education with 42 percent saying they would seek student loans.

As a resource for those seeking online education, eLearners.com, serves as a leading indicator of trends in online education, online training and subsequent career prospects. eLearners.com also offers other helpful resources for prospective online learners in the form of question and answer forums, advice on how to succeed as an online student and user-generated opinions about online colleges. eLearners.com also offers the eLearners Advisor (http://www.elearners.com/advisor/index.asp), an assessment that measures online learning compatibility; a searchable database of more than $14 billion in scholarship and financial aid opportunities (http://www.elearners.com/scholarships/); and the Debt Free College Guide (http://debtfree.elearners.com), a comprehensive list of loan forgiveness programs nationwide.

eLearners.com’s research was designed to investigate the motivations and perspectives of recent inquirers, those submitting an inquiry form in the last 30 days, to gain an understanding of the uptick in interest in online education. eLearners.com received 300 responses of which 65 percent were over the age of 35 with nearly half seeking a Bachelor’s degree.

For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.elearners.com.

About eLearners.com®
The eLearners.com website is one of several high visibility, high-quality prospecting tools offered by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their programs. For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.eLearners.com.

About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is the leading marketing and information services company dedicated to helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.

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