Is the market for online EDU affiliate programs too saturated? Well, from our experience this past spring our merchant eLearners did not think so. The affiliate program saw great success with the announcement that it was launching a third installment of its Project Working Mom... And Dads, Too! campaign. Select finalists appeared on the Tyra Banks show and many working moms and dads received financial aid to help them pursue their online education endeavours. After a high response rate and positive feedback,  eLearners recently decided to make PWM/D as a regular offer for affiliates to promote.

While it's always great for parents to shine on celebrity talkshows, there's actually a greater reason why PWM/D is a big hit with working parents. It means getting free money to pursue an education at a time when many offline schools are cutting back on financial aid. A recent New York Times article highlighted Reed College's unenviable task of cutting back on financial aid due to the recession:

The admissions team at Reed College, known for its free-spirited students, learned in March that the prospective freshman class it had so carefully composed after weeks of reviewing essays, scores and recommendations was unworkable.

Money was the problem. Too many of the students needed financial aid, and the college did not have enough. So the director of financial aid gave the team another task: drop more than 100 needy students before sending out acceptances, and substitute those who could pay full freight.

To read more of this article click here.

Reed College's situation is not that unique, as other offline institutions are also feeling the pinch. However, while this is bad news for those schools, it may not necessarily be that bad for prospective students.  It seems that instead many people are shifting their focus to online educational opportunities. eLearners has seen this happen with the wealth of interest in its educational offers, particularly financial aid offers like PWM/D and Jump Start Scholarships.

A story from news service Reuters reports that "analysts believe online education companies will fare better than traditional post-secondary education companies and, in the long term, will outperform the overall sector." The article cites that schools like DeVry and Capella, well known for their online course offerings, are experiencing a spike in online enrollment compared to a year ago.

As you can see, this is the reason why working moms and dads, or any student for that matter, are happy to get a financial boost from eLearners to go back to school. People are wondering if they do go back to school, will the economy be better by the time they complete their studies. They wonder if jobs will be available to help them pay off debts. They are also looking at what help is available since many educational institutions are cutting back on financial aid. Online education, on the other hand, is growing even more in popularity and is also an affordable solution.