Understanding the Evolving Needs of Online Learners

Every year, the Voice of the Online Learner report offers a window into the motivations, preferences, and challenges of today’s online students. Now in its 14th year, the 2025 edition provides timely insights for UPCEA members seeking to design courses and programs that meet the needs of adult learners, employers, and communities.

At Risepoint, we’re proud to provide this research and support the institutions that use it to shape the future of higher education.  I recently shared these findings at UPCEA’s 2025 SOLAR: Summit for Online Leadership and Administration + Roundtable, and I’m excited to highlight them here for the broader UPCEA community.

Are adult learners attracted to stackable alternative credentials?

Download the report to find out

Key findings from the 2025 Voice of the Online Learner

Online learners are balancing complex lives

Most online learners are working professionals juggling multiple professional and personal responsibilities. They are career-driven and believe the quality of an online education is comparable to or better than an on-campus degree and also believe that their employers feel the same way.  Notably, 80% of learners pick modality first (online vs. hybrid or in-person) and then look for programs to match.

Affordability remains the top decision factor, but modern learners also expect programs to fit into their busy lives without sacrificing quality.

Learners want to grow in their current roles
Rather than seeking new careers, a larger percentage of prospective, enrolled, and recently graduated online students are focused on in-role growth—seeking promotions, skill upgrades, or salary increases. Three in four agree that an advanced degree is necessary to improve career prospects.

This insight reinforces the need for programs that are tightly aligned with real-world job functions and employer expectations.

Gen AI is a growing concern and opportunity
Technology is reshaping the workforce, and 67% of learners recognize the growing importance of Gen AI for future job success. However, only 19% say their online program teaches them how to use Gen AI as a tool in the workplace. Compounding this concern is their uncertainty about the impact Gen AI will have on their future job prospects.

These findings present a critical opportunity for UPCEA institutions to lead workforce-aligned curriculum design that incorporates career-relevant Gen AI tools and competencies.

Learners are seeking opportunities for support and connection
Online learners want the flexibility inherent in the modality. However, they are increasingly open to additional opportunities to receive academic support and foster social connections, which can include on-campus activities. This year, 73% of online learners said they would visit their program’s campus, up from 58% in 2024. And about two-thirds of students expressed interest in logging in synchronously at least once per course.

This shift signals an opportunity for institutions to offer flexible online programs that also invite meaningful, optional engagement—on campus or in real time.

Alternative credentials offer immediate value, unclear pathways
In an expanded section on lifelong learning and alternative credentials, we saw that learners are availing themselves of such offerings in increasing numbers. However, they’re doing so primarily to gain specific, in-the-moment skills to accelerate in-role growth or to pursue an area of interest, rather than long-term academic stacking. Lack of employer recognition drives skepticism, while learners may simply be unaware of the option to stack non-degree courses into a degree. Only 11% cited stackability as a key reason for pursuing alternative credentials.

This suggests a need for better communication around stackable pathways and stronger employer recognition to increase perceived value.

Actionable Takeaways for UPCEA Members

• Design with flexibility first: Modality is a primary decision factor.
• Offer optional in-person touchpoints: Students want connection, not requirements.
• Integrate Gen AI into curricula: Learners know they are underprepared.
• Align programs with in-role advancement: Focus on practical, promotable skills.
• Clarify the value of alternative credentials: Emphasize stackability and employer relevance.

Download the full report for more data and strategies to inform your program development.