Despite significant coverage of online education in recent years, finding a balanced perspective can be remarkably difficult since conversations tend to be highly partisan. Online schooling is either presented as the inevitable and awesome educational wave of the future or talked about as a cheap facsimile of the traditional classroom experience.

For potential students trying to make a decision about their own educational journeys, this can be confusing and even distressing. You certainly don’t want to choose the wrong path for yourself, so how can you know if an online degree program is the right option for you?

Here are three objective pros and cons to help you make an informed decision, whether you end up studying online or on campus.

Pros of an online education:

1. Opportunity and convenience.

The initial impetus for creating and advancing online coursework was to provide access for students who could not attend traditional programs. This method of undergrad and graduate education can allow students to attend programs regardless of geography, level of physical ability, or schedule restrictions. All you need is a computer and Internet connection to attend class and complete assignments.

2. Potentially lower costs.

To be clear, online degree programs are not automatically or universally cheaper than their traditional counterparts; you’ll need to do some number crunching to find out the total cost of any program and how it compares to other options. In some cases, however, online degrees can be more economical.

Even if an online program is comparable in cost to a traditional one, you may end up spending significantly less online simply because you avoid room-and-board charges while also having greater schedule flexibility to maintain or pursue a source of income.

Source: college.usatoday.com