Students who earned fully online degrees from nonprofit colleges have a more favorable view of their experiences than do their counterparts who earned online degrees from for-profit colleges, according to a new report from Public Agenda.
The nonpartisan research and polling firm surveyed 217 alumni of nonprofit online institutions and 169 alumni of for-profit online institutions. It found that 70 percent of the former were very satisfied with their institution, compared to 49 percent of the latter; that 57 percent of alumni of nonprofit online programs thought their degree has paid off, compared to 39 percent of for-profit alumni; and that 50 percent of for-profit online alumni thought their institution prioritized profit over students, compared to 31 percent of alumni of nonprofit online institutions.
