New report from UPCEA – 2024 Staffing & Structure Survey Results
The 2024 UPCEA Staffing & Structure Survey examines the structure, staffing, enrollment, and financial operations of online and PCE units of 108 institutions of varying sizes and types. Public research institutions and large to medium-sized institutions dominate the sample, with online and PCE units often housed within the provost’s office or as standalone entities. Staffing levels range from small teams to larger units, supporting thousands of credit and non-credit enrollments annually. Financially, online and PCE units generate significant gross and net revenues, with budgets primarily allocated to staff salaries. Revenue-sharing models vary, with many units sharing a percentage of revenue with other departments. These insights reveal the critical role that online and PCE units play in providing flexible educational opportunities and driving institutional revenue.
- Forty-four percent of institutions have an online and PCE unit that resides in the provost’s office, 22% have a standalone unit, and 17% are nested within multiple academic units.
- Nearly a third (32%) of online and PCE units have under 10 FTE staff in their unit, while 27% have between 21 to 50. On average, online and PCE units have 43 FTE staff, with a median of 20.
- The average unduplicated headcount for credit enrollments is 5,539 and the average number of credit hours is 146,563. The average unduplicated headcount for non-credit enrollments is 3,340 and the average number of non-credit registrations is 7,653.
- On average, online and PCE units have a total gross revenue of $16.8M with a median of $6.0M and a total net revenue of $8.9M with a median of $1.0M.
- Fifty-nine percent of respondents said their online and PCE unit shares a percentage of revenue with other departments at their institution, while 12% share a flat fee, and 37% have “Other” revenue sharing agreements.
- Thirty percent of respondents have an online and PCE unit with an operating budget between $1M-$5M, while 23% have an operating budget under $1M. Online and PCE units have an average overall operating budget of $9.4M with a median of $2.8M.
- On average, online and PCE units allocate 61% of their budget to staff salaries with a median of 65% and an average of 27% to operational expenses with a median of 25%.
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