UA eVersity Online Program Accepting Applications

The University of Arkansas System’s eVersity began accepting applications and launched its redesigned website at eversity.uasys.edu.

The online only course offerings are designed to meet a growing audience of older students who are aiming to finish their degrees, but need schedule flexibility as well as students who may be limited to college access by financial or travel constraints. eVersity advertises “one cost, plain and simple” at $165 per credit hour.

Initial degree programs include health care management, information technology, criminal justice, business and general studies with multiple degree options available within each field.

“The UA Board of Trustees shared our vision of finding a way to reach the more than 350,000 Arkansans who started college and for whatever reasons never had a chance to complete their degree,” said Donald Bobbitt, Ph.D., president of the UA System. “Creating an accessible and affordable way to reach those students to strengthen our state’s workforce and overall economy has been our driving force since we started this process.”

The UA System Board of Trustees adopted a resolution in 2012 acknowledging the critical role online education can play in expanding the reach of education throughout all partner universities. State higher education officials have been competing with online schools for years as there are more than 100 already permitted to do state in Arkansas.

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released its most current analysis of numbers for the 2013 school year. It found:

• In fall 2013, about 4.6 million undergraduate students participated in distance education;
• About 2 million students, or 11% of total post-baccalaureate enrollment were exclusively taking distance education courses; and
• Of that 2 million, more than half were enrolled in programs located in the same state in which they resided.

UA officials hope the personalized approach eVersity has designed will draw more students to its products. The application process is touted as “simplified” and the process allows staff to go out and procure high school and prior college transcripts needed to create a degree plan free of charge, according to the school.

“We have worked very hard to remove the barriers that have kept many students from going back to finish the degree they started before life got in the way of their educational goals,” said Michael Moore, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs for the UA System and chief operating and academic officer for eVersity. “We believe every student is unique, and it is our goal to get to know each student and tailor support and learning strategies to meet their individual needs.”

Tuesday’s launch is the first new addition to the UA System since 2004, when the Clinton School for Public Service opened its doors and the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts joined.