How a tiny nonprofit school became one of America's largest universities

[Zorro]

Southern New Hampshire University's online degree programs have attracted nearly 300,000 students, sparking questions about its advertising budget and high profits.

Two decades ago, Southern New Hampshire University was so obscure that most people in New England had never heard of it. It enrolled a few thousand students on its 300-acre campus along the Merrimack River, 25 miles from the Massachusetts border. Many students came from nearby towns looking for practical skills in fields like business, culinary arts or hotel management.

Today, SNHU is one of the largest universities in the country after a massive expansion of its online degree programs. Enrollment took off as the school plowed $1.6 billion into advertising and reaped more than $1 billion in profit since 2010. Last fiscal year, the nonprofit school estimates, 300,000 students took at least one class for credit.

“The growth has just been absolutely phenomenal,” said Margaret Moffett, who is writing an academic book about the school’s expansion.

The vast majority of SNHU students are completely online and live all over the country. Some visit the campus for the first time at graduation, while many never set foot there.

https://wapo.st/45XdmVM

[mwmisses4289]

1. So they are legit?

I keep seeing their ads, and wondered if they were a fly by night operation like the one that went out of business a few years ago.

[Skittles]

2. hard to say

could just be the growth in online degrees