• Online
  Degrees
• Online
  Programs
• Online
  Courses
• Online
  Colleges
• Campus
  Programs
• eLearners
  Advisor
• Articles &
  Resources
• Blogs &
  Forums

Information for the Press and Media

For Immediate Release

March Madness College Fans Extend Beyond Physical Campus as Online Students Root for Their Home Team

All of the 65 Schools Hitting the Hardwood in the Big Dance Have Online Program Students Getting Into the Games

HOBOKEN, NJ - March 17, 2009 — With the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament tipping off today, anticipation for college hoops fans is running high. Millions of college students, alums, and sports fans will be tuning in to watch how the games play out and which team(s) will become this year's Cinderella story. This year, however, more student fans than ever will be representing a growing base of online students. According to eLearners.com, an online education resource that connects prospective students with online learning providers, all of the 65 schools represented in the March Madness games have online programs.

"When people think of the traditional NCAA basketball fan, they picture a student or alum who built their passion while walking the paths on campus. But that fan base has grown beyond the campus bricks to the college's clicks of online learners," said Terrence Thomas, EVP Marketing Operations for eLearners.com. "More and more students are turning to online programs because they offer a flexible, high-quality and convenient option."

Showcasing this growth is the fact that online enrollments are growing at a faster rate than overall higher education enrollments. According to a 2008 report by the Sloan Consortium, in the fall of 2006 almost 3.5 million students were enrolled in at least one online course; that's about a 10 percent increase from the previous year. However, the overall higher education student population only rose 1.5 percent.

eLearners.com offers a wealth of resources to help people interested in online education navigate this world. To help answer some of the most common questions and to provide how-to guides, articles and advice, eLearners.com created the Guide to Online Education (http://www.elearners.com/guide-to-online-education/). And with the economy struggling, many people are searching for financial aid solutions, eLearners.com created the Debt-Free College Guide (http://debtfree.elearners.com/) to help. This is a one-stop resource designed to help current, former and prospective students identify opportunities to get out from under the crushing burden of student loans. Another resource is a campaign called "Project Working Mom... and Dads, Too!" (http://www.projectworkingmom.com), which offers full-ride scholarships to moms and dads. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is April 30. For more information on accredited online schools and financing a college degree, visit www.elearners.com.

---

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, LLC, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is a leading interactive marketing and information services company focused on helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students. Home to some of the most visible education Web sites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, and StudyAbroad.com, EducationDynamics is one of the leading providers of qualified leads for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered products and services to manage a school's relationship with students across their entire life cycle from inquiry through enrollment to retention. For more information on EducationDynamics, please visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.

About eLearners.com®

The eLearners.com Web site is one of several high visibility, high-quality prospecting tools offered by EducationDynamics, LLC. 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® 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 Web site offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their programs. For more information on eLearners.com, visit www.elearners.com.

#  #  #

Return to 'Press Releases' Home Page