Expenses incurred before the program begins are amortized and recovered over the first three to five cohorts of the program (an average of about 14 percent over total revenue for the first four cohorts of the program). Thereafter, the expense incurred for offering a program fully online, including the use of CSUN eLearning capabilities and resources, is the modest cost of ongoing technical support and course refinement averaging only 7 percent of total program revenue for each additional cohort.

CSUN’s fully online programs are priced below those typically offered by private and for-profit colleges and universities and many public education providers. Yet, CSUN’s approach allows online programs to be fully self-supported and to provide a positive net revenue flow that allows the university to reinvest in expanding programs, hiring faculty, and adding to its capacities in the changing world of educational technologies.

The CSUN approach allows CSUN the advantages of building a comprehensive and agile digital education capacity that reaches across the campus, from the enhancement of on-campus courses to fully online programs. Self-support funding and campus capacity in digital teaching and learning allow CSUN to develop and offer innovative programs; explore and use emerging technologies; use eLearning staff to foster broader use of educational technologies; and support the use of educational technologies in a wide range of ways in teaching, learning, research and community service throughout the university.

The CSU Overall

Currently, the CSU’s 23 campuses combined offer a total of 73 fully online degree programs, 26 hybrid degree programs, and 122 certificates for professional development and training fully online. Last year over 5,695 students matriculated in the CSU

campuses’ fully online degree programs. Also, the CSU at the system-level, working with Pearson, the global leader in education, began offering six of the fully online degrees in spring 2013 (through the CSU’s contracted external partnership initiative, known as Cal State Online).