Online courses often pricier for students

Fees imposed on college students who take online classes can be more than $1,300 at some schools, according to a new survey claiming that Internet-based education is often more costly for students than attending classes on campus. The one-time registration fees charged to web-based students are not levied on students who take traditional classes, and some online college programs include other charges for course materials and "technology resources and services," according to a survey of 182 institutions conducted by the Campus Computing Project and Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET). Online students are paying less than their brick-and-mortar peers at 20 percent of the campuses surveyed, while 31 percent are paying the same price, according to the survey. But nearly half of respondents said their online students are paying more for a college education than traditional students.