By Leah Jackson
02/27/2014
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University was named the most popular online school in the SR Education Group’s Louisiana Guide to Online Schools. Northwestern State was ranked first out of 37 institutions of higher education that offer online courses, including public and private universities, community colleges, seminaries, technical colleges and court reporting institutes in Louisiana.
According to Kimberly Wetter, a spokesperson for SR Education Group, 80 percent of online students live within 100 miles of a campus or service center of the institution they attend.
“Although location does not seem like it would be a factor in deciding which online college to attend, many students prefer a local college. That piece of information prompted us to do our own study and look into the most popular online colleges in each state,” Wetter said.
The rankings list was generated based on the most up-to-date statistics provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Using their stats on students enrolled in distance education, SR Education Group compiled location-based lists of schools offering online education options for students.
“We are very happy and honored to be recognized as the top school by the SR Education Group’s Louisiana Guide to Online Schools,” said Dr. Darlene Williams, NSU’s vice president for Technology, Research and Economic Development. “This is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of NSU’s faculty and staff who make great things happen year after year.”
SR Education Group is a provider of education resources that creates and maintains websites aimed at helping students make career and educational decisions. The organization provides information to connect students with the resources they need to complete their education by learning about degree programs, careers and education financing.
For more information on Northwestern State’s ranking, visit http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/states/louisiana.
(News Coverage: Shreveport Times, NSU Press, KTBS)
