Online degree programs sound attractive, convenient, and exciting. But how do you know whether you can make the grade? What kind of student does it take to succeed in distance learning degree programs?

Are you a stay at home mom? Do you have plenty of free time while the children are in preschool or taking their naps? If you’d like to advance your career with an online university degree program, you’re probably an ideal student. Of course, you have to stay motivated to succeed.

Military spouses often make excellent distance degree students. Furthermore, the challenges of moving from place to place with each new tour of duty can make traditional college degree programs difficult, which might give you even more motivation and determination to excel at an online degree university.

Do you have a choice? If you have no transportation, or cannot afford the additional costs of travel and childcare, you may find that distance education degree programs offer you your best chance to earn a college degree. If you don’t see any other alternatives, make the decision to make this option work for you.

If you’re a busy professiona with too little extra time for commuting to class, consider distance learning. But remember: even online degree programs require time and energy. If you don’t set aside some time to learn, you aren’t going to get your degree!

If you’re thinking about going back to school to finish a degree, or pursue continuing education, you may already have a full-time job, and possibly even a family. Traditional college degree programs can make it very difficult to finish a university degree program while balancing all of these responsibilities, and distance learning degree programs often look very attractive to adult learners.

People who know how to use good time management skills and are highly motivated or determined generally have a positive experience with distance learning. For those persons whose lives are already very busy, or who have difficulty prioritizing needs, online degree programs can be an almost insurmountable challenge. If you aren’t able to find and use the time to study and complete class projects, you will probably not be successful in completing your college degree program.

The good news, though, is that there is hope. Study and time management skills can be learned, so you don’t have to completely rule out an online university degree program. Learning these skills before enrolling in a degree program, however, is very helpful.

Many local community colleges and adult education programs offer classes on study skills and time management. Check out these resources, or look for some study materials online. The key is to develop the skills before you enroll, however. This may take practice, but it will be well worth the effort!

If you have taken classes for a job, for military advancement, or for another purpose, you may be eligible to receive credit for experience. This is sometimes known as life experience or work experience. If you’ve ever wondered whether your life experiences could offer you credit toward a college degree, perhaps it’s time to find out.

Let’s face it, whether you are planning to attend a traditional college degree program, or attend an online university degree program, college tuition is expensive. No one wants to take unnecessary courses or spend more money than is necessary to earn a college degree. Credit for life or work experience is a valid way to meet requirements for some basic or core courses.

Sometimes, universities allow students to test out of basic or intermediate level classes. For example, if you are fluent in more than one language, you may be about to test out of a foreign language. This can be particularly helpful in fulfilling humanities or language requirements for most university degree programs.

Another option is available for students who took advanced placement courses in math, science, or English at the high school level. Sometimes colleges allow students to test out of core classes, often saving the expense of 12 or more credit hours. These tests are referred to variably as CLEP tests or placement tests.

If you have taken course work for another purpose without being enrolled in a traditional or distance learning university, contact an evaluator to determine whether you are able to receive credit for this work. You may find that you are much closer to a Bachelor Degree in a related field than you could have imagined! Wouldn’t it be great to complete your degree in half the time that it otherwise would require?