Go To School Anywhere Right From Where You Are!

Results from a preliminary 2009-2010 international enrollment survey are mixed, the Institute reported. But, as a Chronicle of Higher Education article tells it, some 3 million study abroad students throughout the world in 2009 are expected to grow to 8 million by 2025. Ben Wildavsky penned the book, "The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World". He sees a worldwide higher education market as a "free trade in minds" and "a chance for greater intellectual exchange, collaboration, and innovation," according to an Inside Higher Education report.

International students and their families, largely as a result of tuition, also contribute more than $13 billion a year to the American economy, according to the Institute for International Education. Educators gathered at a spring Going Global conference in London noted that students tend to begin their school searches with guidance from family and friends, a Chronicle of Higher Education article noted. College searches also involve varied methods, including distance learning online degree programs with Latin American students referring to publications, African and Middle Eastern undergraduates seeking advice from professors and graduate students researching quality programs with good reputations that are best suited to their career goals, the Chronicle report stated.

Many reportedly share common desires for fast responses to their inquiries and applications. Going Global speakers citing a wide array of higher education choices reportedly cautioned against treating international students as "cash cows" and recommended instead that colleges and universities focus on giving them something for their money.

One American university as early as 2001 required undergraduates to enroll in on line degrees, according to the Sloan Consortium. The requirement was designed so that students could obtain global perspectives from worldwide scholars and practitioners with whom the institution partners, the Consortium noted. This school's Global Virtual Faculty Program, as its known, by 2004 had 46 scholars and practitioners from 23 countries working with about 900 students, the Consortium reported.

Those who obtain a distance learning degree join fellow students from everywhere in the world, learning global communication in a climate that encourages exploration. No matter where you are or what your schedule is, an accredited degree online is one sure way to match education and career goals for everyone.