Fewer and fewer young people are studying in-person courses, while virtual courses now account for a quarter of enrollments: What's behind it?

The year 2024 saw the lowest number of in-person enrollments in higher education in more than 10 years , while online programs reached their highest enrollment in history.

This is evident in the most recent data published by the National Higher Education Information System (SNIES) of the Ministry of Education, which consolidates all enrollment statistics from both universities and technical and technological institutions.

Thus, the 2024 data (which were released just a few days ago) reveal that for that year, enrollment in on-campus programs (both undergraduate and graduate) was 1,773,335, representing 69.4 percent of the total 2,553,560 registered enrollments.

This represents a reduction not only in the number of in-person enrollments from 2023 (1,775,957) but also in the representation within the total enrollment, which at that time represented 71.7 percent.

Furthermore, this is the lowest in-person enrollment in more than a decade, and a much lower number than, for example, the number recorded in 2017, when in-person programs reported 1,994,043 students.

For their part, virtual programs for 2024 had a total of 582,721 students , the highest number in history, consolidating their position as the fastest-growing modality, now representing 22.8 percent of enrollment.

And the growth in the number of young people choosing this option for study speaks volumes. Ten years ago (in 2014), there were barely 51,010 enrollments, having doubled compared to 2020, when there were 251,383.

But virtual education has not only been gaining ground over in-person learning, but also over traditional distance learning, which was once the second-most preferred modality for Colombian students, with 283,040 enrollments in 2017, but now only has 185,897 students.

The data also show that a new modality is gradually gaining ground. This is dual education (where the majority of learning is practical, directly from the productive sector), which in 2024 registered 2,150 students. However, in 2020, the first time this modality was measured in the SNIES (National Statistics Institute), there were only 65.

But what's behind the growth of virtual education in universities? According to experts like analyst Ricardo Rodríguez, "what's most striking is that enrollment in virtual programs isn't growing because the sector as a whole is growing, but because young people increasingly prefer this modality, and universities are offering it more. In fact, although total enrollment in 2024 grew, in-person enrollment decreased its number of students. And while in 2018, virtual programs accounted for 8.2 percent of students, now they account for 22.8 percent."

For virtual education expert Fernando Aristizabal, online courses exploded with the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite years of lockdown, virtual courses continue to grow: “It wasn't just a pandemic issue. It's true that universities expanded their virtual offerings in recent years, and many people opted for this alternative, but the trend continues, and each year we're seeing an average increase of 70,000 students, so it's fair to say that this modality is increasingly attractive to young people.”

Aristizábal asserts that there are many reasons why virtual programs have become more attractive. The first is financial, as virtual programs are typically more affordable than in-person programs, even at the same university that offers the same program in both modalities.

Costs for institutions are also lower. Once the platform is implemented, fewer professors are required to serve large groups of students, which lowers costs, which is attractive to universities, which register more virtual programs each year.

And another advantage for students is flexibility: "It's especially beneficial for lower-income students, who have to work while studying. The fact that most of their activities are asynchronous allows them to adjust their schedules to individual needs," explains the expert.

However, it also has its drawbacks. For example, according to SNIES figures, virtual programs have a higher dropout rate than in-person programs, due to the difficulty of monitoring students, as the flexibility itself can lead to dropping out.

Added to this are the questions that have been raised about the quality of these programs, due to the lack of faculty support. "Furthermore, we lose the university campus experience, the encounters with others, the building of debate—all key moments in university life," explains Luis Felipe Maldonado, a master's degree holder in pedagogy.

MATEO CHACÓN ORDUZ | Education Deputy Editor