After comparing local college tuition rates, New Jersey resident Shaheed Morris decided that Mercer County Community College (MCCC) was the most affordable choice. But Morris, who recently enrolled in an online communications course, says distance learning is not one-size-fits-all.

“The only benefit to taking an online class is that you have the opportunity to hand in an assignment at any hour of the day,” says Morris, 20. “But if you’re not good with time management, you could have a hard time with it.”

Morris and thousands of other students across the country are finding that the virtual classroom provides a flexible pathway to earning a degree, boosting credentials or transitioning between jobs. And in the midst of rising unemployment rates and a beleaguered economy, many of the nation’s distance-learning programs are experiencing unprecedented growth.

Officials at Excelsior College — which boasts being the country’s oldest distance-learning institution — say a considerable upward enrollment trend in recent months is partially because of current job market conditions.

“I think people are recognizing what is happening in their particular fields, and some are realizing that, as the job market gets tighter, those with credentials tend to fare better,” says William Stewart, assistant vice president for institutional advancement at Excelsior, who notes that overall online class enrollment this spring is at least 23 percent higher than last spring.