By Jessica Dyer, Albuquerque Journal
The number of online-only students at the University of New Mexico has climbed 65 percent in three years – something leaders consider a positive step toward broadening the student base but no cure-all for the institution’s larger budget woes.
Based on fall 2017 figures, 7 percent of all students at the state’s largest university now attend exclusively through the internet, and nearly one out of every three UNM students take at least one online course. The growth follows UNM’s increasing emphasis on web-based offerings. By spring, the university will have 10 “managed online programs” – those that provide a structured path toward a degree in subject areas that include psychology, construction management and Native American studies. Several more are in planning or under discussion.