Will Higher Education Move Online?

In the U.S. and many other countries, the coronavirus pandemic has forced students of all ages to study from home. But is this such a bad thing – especially for older students at universities or other higher education institutions? A lot of the world’s citizen believe it’s not, according to a new survey by market research and consulting company Ipsos.

Globally, 23% of those surveyed in 29 countries think that within five years, higher education in their country will be carried out online in its entirety or in its majority, and 49% think online and in-person learning will be equally important in higher ed.

Saudi Arabia had the most avid online students in the survey: 45% of respondent said that higher education will be delivered only (or mainly) online in five years, while 30 percent believed in an even split.

In most countries, the latter was the option believed to be most likely, with 64 percent in Chile and 63 percent in Mexico saying they thought online and in-person higher ed would see eye to eye five years down the line. Latin American countries favored this option most, with similar answers coming out of Brazil, Peru and Argentina.

European nations were a little more apprehensive about drastic changes in higher ed, while those in Asia could see online university becoming more of a thing the least.