The Internet and Education: Astonishing Facts

College students use the Internet far more than the general public. The Pew Internet and American Life Project reported statistics in 2002. The statistics below are extrapolated, following the trends in prior years, and some other interesting facts are also included.

According to the statistical trend, about…

• 95% of college students have gone online (compared with about 66% of all Americans).

• 4 out of 5 college students check email everyday.

• 20% of college students started using computers between the ages of 5 and 8.

• More than 2.5 million students took distance learning courses in 2003, while about 710,000 did five years earlier.

• The "E-learning" market is growing about 100% each year.

• More than 1,400 colleges offer online classes.

• Almost all college students own their own computers (95%).

• 1 in 4 students communicate more with their professors using email than face-to-face.

• More than 50% of students say email helps them express ideas to their professor they would not have expressed in class.