2025 Fall Faculty and Administrator Survey

The Growth Story

Online enrollment is growing — and institutions expect that to continue.

42%Average estimated share of enrollment that is online today† Midpoint estimate — see note below

82%Institutions reporting Fall 2025 online enrollment grew vs. Fall 2024

71%Institutions reporting year-over-year enrollment increases

49%Projected share of enrollment online by 2030 — up approximately 7 points from today† Midpoint estimate — see note below

What percentage of your total enrollment is fully online (Fall 2024 through Spring 2025)?

<15%

21%

16–30%

53%

31–45%

18%

46–60%

>75%

What percentage of your total enrollment is fully online?
Enrollment Range	% of Institutions	n
Less than 15%	3%	1
16–30%	21%	7
31–45%	53%	18
46–60%	18%	6
Greater than 75%	6%	2

Each bar shows the percentage of institutions selecting that range. The 31–45% range was the modal response, selected by 53% of institutions.

What would you forecast as the likely percentage of online enrollments at your institution in 2030?

16–30%

41%

31–45%

32%

46–60%

18%

61–75%

>75%

2030 online enrollment forecast.
Forecast Range	% of Institutions	n
16–30%	6%	2
31–45%	41%	14
46–60%	32%	11
61–75%	18%	6
Greater than 75%	3%	1

53% of institutions project 46% or more online by 2030 (combining the 46–60%, 61–75%, and greater than 75% ranges).

† Methodology note — 42% and 49% figures: Survey responses were collected in enrollment ranges (e.g., 31–45%, 46–60%). The figures 42% and 49% are midpoint-weighted estimates: the midpoint of each range, weighted by the number of respondents selecting it. These are reasonable approximations and should be understood as estimates, not precise averages.

The Fraud Problem

88% of institutions cannot confirm they are fraud-free.

Are you experiencing increases in fraudulent enrollments?

50% Yes

38% Not Sure

12%

Yes — Confirmed increase

Not Sure

No — Confident not seeing fraud

50%

Yes — Confirmed increaseInstitutions confirming fraudulent enrollment increases are occurring

38%

Not SureCannot confirm whether fraud is occurring or increasing at their institution

12%

No — Confident not seeing fraudOnly 12% can confidently rule out fraudulent enrollment activity

Are you experiencing increases in fraudulent enrollments?
Response	%	n
Yes — confirmed increase	50%	17
Not sure	38%	13
No — confident not seeing fraud	12%	4

Key Framing

88% Cannot Confirm They Are Free of Fraudulent Enrollments

This is not just an academic integrity issue. Bots and fake identities enrolling to capture Pell grant disbursements constitute a federal financial aid compliance liability. Week 1 activities were designed as a human verification gate tied to disbursement — agentic AI tools can now complete them autonomously. Institutions face institutional risk, not just pedagogical inconvenience.

Greatest Challenges in Online Programs

Respondents identified their single greatest challenge facing online programs.

What is the greatest problem you have related to your online courses? (Select one)

Lack of Online Standards

29%

Accessibility Compliance

26%

Other (combined) ‡

18%

Lack of Faculty Training

15%

Student Engagement

12%

Greatest problem related to online courses. Single selection.
Challenge	%	n
Lack of online standards for design and teaching	29%	10
Accessibility compliance	26%	9
Other (combined: low completion, OER adoption, write-in responses)	18%	6
Lack of faculty training	15%	5
Effective strategies for student engagement	12%	4

‡ "Other" combines two separate survey response categories (9% + 9% = 18%) covering low completion rates, OER adoption challenges, and write-in responses.

The Compliance Clock

The ADA Title II deadline is here — and most institutions are not ready.

Deadline

WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Required by April 24, 2026

ADA Title II now requires all public colleges and universities to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards for digital content. As of the March 2026 ITC Annual eLearning Conference, this deadline is 40 days away as of this publication.

How would you rate your current readiness to meet the ADA Title II requirement? (1 = Not at all ready, 5 = Fully ready today)

Not at all ready

47%

← Most common

29%

Fully ready today

ADA Title II readiness ratings.
Rating	%	n
1 — Not at all ready	9%	3
2	9%	3
3 — Most common	47%	16
4	29%	10
5 — Fully ready today	6%	2

Scale anchors (1 = Not at all ready, 5 = Fully ready today) are from the original survey instrument. Intermediate level labels are not defined in the instrument.

65%of institutions rate themselves at 3 or below — not on track for the April 2026 deadline

6%are fully ready today (rated 5 of 5)

Note

A Compliance Gap, Not an Awareness Gap

The modal response of 3 (47% of institutions) signals that most programs know they have work to do — but have not completed it.

What Would Help Most

Supports institutions say would most help them meet WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

Which of the following supports would most help you ensure your course materials comply with WCAG 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026? (Select up to three)

Clear institutional guidelines / checklists

19%

Dedicated instructional design assistance

18%

Automated accessibility-checking tools

15%

Professional development workshops

15%

Captioning and transcript services

13%

Course release time or stipends

11%

Peer mentoring or coaching

10%

Supports that would most help ensure WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Up to 3 selections, 105 total selections.
Support	% of selections	n
Clear institutional guidelines / checklists	19%	19
Dedicated instructional design assistance	18%	18
Automated accessibility-checking tools	15%	15
Professional development workshops	15%	15
Captioning and transcript services	13%	13
Course release time or stipends	11%	11
Peer mentoring or coaching	10%	10

How to read these percentages: Respondents selected up to three supports each. Percentages reflect each item's share of all selections, not the share of respondents who selected it.

Previously Buried Data

Faculty-Facing Needs

Course release time/stipends (11%) and peer mentoring/coaching (10%) were previously grouped under "Other Entries" in the raw survey report. Surfaced here, they show that faculty need protected time and collegial support — not just tools and checklists — to do this work sustainably.

Institutional Risk

Top-Down Compliance Fails Without Faculty Buy-In

Institutions that invest only in tools and guidelines while ignoring faculty-facing supports risk compliance work that is under-resourced and unsustainable at the course level, where the actual remediation happens.

Key Takeaways

Four interconnected findings from the Fall 2025 survey.

01 — Enrollment

Online Is the Majority Direction

With an estimated 42% of enrollment online today and institutions projecting approximately 49% by 2030, the trajectory is clear. 82% reported growth in Fall 2025 vs. Fall 2024. This is not a temporary post-pandemic artifact.

02 — Fraud

A Federal Compliance Liability, Not Just an Integrity Issue

50% confirm fraud increases. 88% cannot rule it out. Pell-harvesting via automated enrollment is a Department of Education exposure. Institutions need verification strategies that don't treat all students as suspects.

03 — Standards

The Field Wants a Floor, Not Just Best Practices

29% cite lack of online standards as their top challenge. 26% cite accessibility compliance. Combined, these represent over half of all responses — a clear signal for advocacy and policy work.

04 — Compliance

65% Are Not Ready for April 24, 2026

Only 6% rate themselves fully ready for the WCAG 2.1 AA deadline. The modal response is 3 of 5. Institutions that haven't started need triage strategies, not long-term roadmaps. The window for deliberate planning has closed.

ITC Faculty & Administrator Survey: Online Learning & Accessibility in Higher Education