What You Didn’t Know About Online College for Moms (expanded)

Top 5 Reasons Online Schools Benefit Moms

1. Scheduling: Online schools are there when you are ready, no hassle with commuting, canceled classes or overflowing classrooms.
2. Lower overall cost: With the variety of online schools available, Moms can find a school that provides the classes they want at a price they can afford.
3. Choice of classes: Online colleges offer classes at any time during the year, so a mom doesn’t have to wait a semester for a class to become available or be in a seat at a specific time.
4. Individual attention: Online colleges focus on the individual student’s experience and provide support systems which enable students to be successful.
5. No preparation time: No need to ‘get ready’ or get your kids ready for a babysitter just to go to school.

How many moms go to online schools?

Over 600,000 mothers are enrolled in online schools. 400,000 of these women are either part-time or full-time working moms.

Top 5 reasons moms choose to further their education online

1. Higher Income: College degrees provide greater opportunity for significantly higher income compared to pay rates for employees who are high school graduates alone.
2. Personal growth: Many moms enrolled in college and never had the chance to complete their studies when they had a family. Online school gives them the opportunity to finish what they started.
3. Employment /Professional opportunities: Gives moms the opportunity to get the education needed for a professional career.
4. Insurance policy: There is a growing rate of divorce and moms who have a college degree are more likely to avoid the poverty associated with single-mother households.
5. Availability: With so many choices available in degree programs and teaching institutions, moms with more time on their hands find a college degree much more accessible and complimentary with their lifestyle.

How many children finish college if their mothers finished?

Overall stats show that women with college educations tend to raise their children with the expectation of a college degree in the child’s future. Statistics also show that degreed mothers tend to provide better educational environments for their children during their early years, ages 1-5 years.

How many moms get financial aid for college?

According to the US Department of Education, over 80% of mothers attending college receive financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, or special discounts reducing the cost of tuition.

What grants and scholarships are available to moms?

There are Federal grants and loans which are specifically targeted to single moms and working moms. Some online colleges for moms offer working and non-working mom’s scholarships and grants and have special admissions counselors who can locate and enroll moms in these special, institution-specific programs.

Top 3 features of an online college that moms should look for

1. Accreditation: Online colleges are generally accredited by one of two national accrediting agencies. Many online colleges have degree programs which are also accredited by one of the seven regional accreditation councils.
2. Graduation rate: Moms should look into the number of graduates receiving diplomas compared to the number of students enrolled in a particular degree program. Some online colleges fail to support students throughout their college career as evidenced by high drop-out rates. While some students will not continue with school for a variety of reasons, a high ratio of student dropouts is never a good reflection of the school.
3. Employment after graduation: All online colleges keep track of how many of their graduates are employed following graduation. A quality online institution will have no reservation about providing employment data for a particular degree program or college of study. Since most moms go to school to get a better job, this is an essential statistic to know and understand.

The potential value of an education for Moms:

• Less than a high school diploma: $21,251/yr
• A high school diploma or GED: $31,286/yr
• Some college experience, but no degree: $33,009/yr
• Associate’s degree: $39,746/yr
• Bachelor’s degree: $57,181/yr
• Master’s degree: $70,186/yr
• Doctorate degree: $95,565/yr
• Professional degree: $120,978/yr