This year is primed to be a pivotal one for online learning, with the number of undergraduates studying fully online surpassing that of peers studying fully in person for the first time.

Now two new surveys of chief online learning officers are helping point the way forward, past this critical moment.

One key takeaway from both: Colleges and universities must level up to close the gap between student expectations and institutional preparedness.

One of the two surveys—the 10th annual Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE) report, “Meeting the Moment: Navigating Growth, Competition, and AI in Online Higher Education,” from Quality Matters, Eduventures and Educause—describes “a maturing online learning landscape that is expanding in ambition but still facing persistent challenges.”

The survey of 257 chief online learning officers fielded in January and February found that demand for online offerings continues to accelerate, with a majority reporting rising interest from graduate students, adult-age undergraduates and even traditional-age undergraduates at their institution. At the same time, just 28 percent of respondents reported that faculty members are fully prepared for online course design, and only somewhat more for online teaching (45 percent). Few institutions represented have fully developed academic continuity plans for future emergency pivots to online, like the sector saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AI integration lacks strategic coordination, with few institutions represented having a unified or coordinated plan. This echoes findings from Inside Higher Ed’s 2025 Survey of Campus Chief Technology/Information Officers. Some 57 percent of chief online learning officers in the new CHLOE survey also reported that uneven access to AI tools is affecting at least some learners.

Online learning officers also raised concerns about data, including data governance. While they broadly affirm the importance of data analytics, just 40 percent of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that online learning data at their institutions is well defined and widely understood. 

At same time, the report found that the online education marketplace is increasingly competitive, especially among private four-year institutions and community colleges.

“As more institutions enter the space, differentiation and program quality are becoming strategic imperatives,” the authors wrote. (On revenue-sharing, they found models directing funds to “both academic units and central offices are best positioned to incentivize growth and sustain support infrastructure.”)

In a related finding, institutional investment in nondegree offerings such as certificates and microcredentials has surged, with 65 percent of respondents reporting some or major investment in these products—up from 29 percent in 2018–19. This is especially true for community colleges, where online strategies center on nondegree pathways, according to the survey.

While infrastructure and innovation have advanced, the report concludes, strategic alignment, faculty readiness and equitable access require renewed investment.

“As institutions navigate enrollment pressures and shifting student expectations, online success will depend on clear strategy, cross-campus collaboration and a sustained commitment to quality,” the authors wrote.

As institutions navigate enrollment pressures and shifting student expectations, online success will depend on clear strategy, cross-campus collaboration and a sustained commitment to quality.”

—2025 CHLOE 10 report

Similarly, the second annual “Benchmarking Online Enterprises: Insights Into Structures, Strategies and Financial Models in Higher Education” (BOnES) report from the online and professional education association UPCEA—also released Tuesday, coincidentally—says that for online leaders, “the question is no longer whether to invest in online learning, but how to do so in ways that are sustainable, equitable and aligned to institutional goals.”

This second report, gentler than CHLOE 10 in its critique of the online landscape, notes that investments in online enterprises are expanding capacity and driving revenue growth, with median budgets and revenues increasing “markedly” between 2024 and 2025. Every budget dollar generated nearly $5 in gross revenue, on average. Still, reported gains in efficiency and levels of investment varied across the 121-respondent initial sample. (This survey was fielded in April and May.)

The UPCEA survey also found that AI integration reflects “both experimentation and uneven maturity.” Nearly half of online enterprises (47 percent) reported a collaborative approach to AI decision-making, while others “are either highly autonomous or lack formal processes altogether.”

The UPCEA report makes five key recommendations: question and improve financial models; benchmark for efficiency, not just scale; develop a clear AI strategy; align staffing with strategy; and invest in “organizational clarity.”

Richard Garrett, Eduventures’ chief research officer, who’s predicted the online learning tipping point for 2025, underscored Tuesday that a majority of undergraduates now take at least one online class. In this light, he said, the CHLOE 10 report confirms that colleges and universities of “all types continue to see online as a growth engine.” So the “real” questions going forward are how much more growth the market can accommodate, given population trends and the rise of alternative providers, and “how the online student experience might evolve to increase consumer demand and boost learning gains,” along with student return on investment.

Bruce Etter, senior director of research and consulting at UPCEA, also said Tuesday that scaling online learning for quality means “building capacity before you grow” and “setting clear design standards—removing that layer of ambiguity.” That’s even as his report indicates that most online enterprises are still academically decentralized.

Online program alignment with student services is critical for online learners, he added—as is investing in faculty success in online teaching.

Last but not least on scaling for quality? “Using AI to enhance and not replace the human touch,” Etter said.

Education-technology analyst Glenda Morgan, who was not involved in either report, praised both for adding needed data to the online learning conversation.

“There is an interesting contrast for me in terms of the picture both reports paint of the relative acceptance of online learning (at least for degrees) and the relative immaturity of the online learning space in terms of organization, etc.,” she said via email. “We are all still figuring it out.”