Online courses allow people who may not have been able to attend university due to either living too far away from a campus or having a very busy schedule to attend classes. Online courses generally allow the enrolled students to log in at times that are convenient for them. Regular in-person classes may fall at a time when the student is at work or has family or other obligations. But online courses can be attended in the middle of the night or early morning or on the weekend or while they are at work or any other time of day or night. They also can be attended from the comfort of their home or office or anywhere with an internet connection and a computer. This lets people who live much too far away from a college campus to attend classes without having to move or have a long commute. These benefits allow a college or university to target an entirely new market base of potential students who have wanted to attend college but could not.
Many colleges and universities have a limited amount of physical space to work with. If a campus is located in the middle of a city or in an area surrounded by other businesses or homes, it may not have the ability to expand by building additional classroom or office space to accommodate large increases in enrollment. By offering online courses where students and often even faculty are able to attend from their own homes, the college or university can expand enrollment without needing significant additions to the physical facilities.
Online learning has evolved significantly over the years. What was once considered a substandard form of education, is now considered equally as good as regular in-class courses by most people. Many people thinking about attending university are looking for a school that is able to stay on top of modern technological advances. A university that does not offer any online learning options may appear out of touch with modern society. Even students who are planning on taking courses in person may consider the lack of an online learning program to be a sign that the university is not keeping up with the rest of the world and may see this as a red flag.