Is online university worth it?
By Open Universities AustraliaPublished on
Online university can be a genuinely good option, or not the right fit, depending on your course, your goals and how you like to learn. Here's an honest look at both sides.
Is an online degree worth it? The honest answer
For many students, an online degree can absolutely be worth it. You can earn a recognised university qualification while gaining the flexibility to study around work, family and other commitments.
There’s strong evidence that online students have enjoyable study experiences. In QILT’s Student Experience Survey, around 8 in 10 students studying externally rated their overall educational experience positively.
But it ultimately depends on how well online study matches the way you actually get things done. It can be a harder fit if you thrive on in-person structure, need significant hands-on or lab-based training, or you're chasing the qualification mainly for the campus experience itself.
Online study tends to be worth it when you value your freedom, the course suits online delivery, and you're comfortable managing your own time. Get study suggestions through Help Me Choose if you're not sure where to start.
The benefits of studying online
The biggest benefit is flexibility. You can study around a job, caring responsibilities or a life that doesn't leave room for fixed lecture times, fitting coursework into evenings, early mornings or weekends instead.
Online study also opens up courses and universities you might not otherwise be able to access, whether that's because of where you live or because relocating for study isn't realistic right now.
Without a daily commute or a move to a university’s location, you also save on travel and, often, accommodation, which can make a genuine difference to what studying actually costs you day to day. For a fuller look at what online study saves you, see how to afford university.
The trade-offs to weigh
Online study isn't the easier option, it's just a different one, and it comes with real trade-offs.
You need to be your own structure. Without a lecture theatre and a set timetable staying on top of your subject load comes down to you, which is harder for some people than others. You'll also get less of the incidental, in-person networking that happens naturally on campus, so if that's a big part of why you want to study, it's worth weighing up.
You also need to be realistic about what can be studied entirely online. Degrees in areas like teaching, health and some sciences can include placements, practical training or laboratory work that must be completed in person. That doesn't necessarily mean you can't study the course online, but you may not be able to complete every requirement from home.
If you’re worried that studying online might count against you with employers, the evidence is reassuring. In QILT’s 2025 Employer Satisfaction Survey, employers rated the employability of online graduates almost identically to graduates who studied on campus or across multiple modes: 86.1% compared with 86.5%.
Online graduates also rated strongly for adaptive skills, which makes sense when you think about what online study asks of you. You need to manage your time, work independently and keep going when life gets busy.
What matters most is not how you studied, but the qualification you've completed, the skills you've developed and whether it meets the professional requirements for the work you want to do.
Are online degrees respected in Australia?
Yes. An accredited online degree is the exact same qualification as its on-campus equivalent, delivered and awarded by the university, not by us. Accreditation is set and checked by TEQSA, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, regardless of how a course is delivered.
Is online study right for you?
Online study tends to suit people who need to fit study around an existing life, rather than rearrange their life around study. If you're working, caring for family, living somewhere without easy access to a campus, or you simply feel more comfortable studying from home, it's worth serious consideration.
It can also give you more flexibility around when you start, and there may be alternative entry pathways if you don't meet the usual requirements for a degree.
If you thrive on face-to-face structure, want the full campus experience, or your course leans heavily on in-person practical work, on-campus study might suit you better, and it's worth comparing the two properly before deciding.
The lowest-pressure way to test it is to start with a single subject rather than committing to a full degree upfront, which you can do through Open Universities Australia.
Explore online study through us
None of this needs to be worked out on your own. A student advisor can talk through whether a specific study area suits online study and how it could fit around your week.
Help Me Choose is a low-pressure way to narrow things down if you're not sure yet. When you're ready to look at courses, browse online study options to see what's available.
FAQs about online study
What degrees can you earn 100% online?
A wide range, spanning business, arts, IT, education, health-adjacent and postgraduate degrees, though not every degree is fully deliverable online, particularly ones with mandatory in-person placements or lab work.
The clearest way to check is to look at how a specific course is delivered on its course page, since this varies course by course rather than by university as a whole. Search online courses to see what's available.
Is it cheaper to do uni online?
Often, yes, though not because the tuition itself is necessarily lower. The bigger saving usually comes from what you don't pay for: no relocation, no daily commute, and often lower accommodation costs if you'd otherwise have needed to move for study.
Tuition itself is generally set by discipline and place type rather than by delivery mode.
See how much does university cost? for what drives the actual course fee.
Do online degrees say “online” on the certificate?
No. Your testamur, the certificate you receive on completion, shows your qualification and the university that awarded it, not how you studied.
Under the Australian Qualifications Framework, a testamur isn't required to record how you studied. It identifies the qualification, the university that awarded it and the date, not the mode of delivery.
