University breaks graduation record due to growth of online education sector

University breaks graduation record due to growth of online education sector

Ashford University, an accredited online education provider, has recently announced that it will need to have three separate graduation ceremonies to accommodate all of the online students that plan on making their way to the Clinton, Iowa campus, according to the Clinton Herald.

More than 700 students and several thousand family and friends are expected to be on hand for the fall semester graduation. Approximately 90 percent of graduates will be students who completed their degrees entirely online.

"People come from all over and this is a real milestone," said Visitors Bureau director Anne Schmidt. "I think the hotels will be full."

Ashford University vice president John Ballheim said that they only had about 50 graduates a few years ago, but, because of the dynamic growth of online education, they expect to continue to draw record numbers.

The online education sector grew 13 percent last year and had been growing at about 20 percent in previous years. Nearly one in four students take at least some college courses online, up from one in 10 in 2002, Reuters reports.