Online art schools are an amazing new concept, but they're not for everyone.  There will always be students seeking the "full" college experience, with all the non-academic perks included.  However, for select groups of others, online classes can be the perfect option.  Here are a few broad categories of people for whom an online degree can be a bonus:

If you're a caretaker

Whether you have rambunctious young children at home or a fragile elderly relative, or perhaps even just an attention-needy pet getting through a surgery, you can't always afford to be out of the house for most of the day.  For the caretaker, after a day of watching over the kids or taking care of Aunt Polly, you're too exhausted to even drive to take a night class.  It doesn't much out of you, however, to sit down in front of your home computer with a steaming cup of coffee.  No matter how many people (or anything else) require your attention, you can still pursue an online degree.

If you're working

Perhaps you already a full-time job, but you don't want to give up your dream of an art degree just because you have to work nine-to-five to pay the bills.  Or maybe you're just making up for that human sculpture class you passed over while getting your degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Either way, online art classes are the perfect solution for anyone who can't afford to devote themselves full-time to studying.  You don't have to give up your paycheck to further you education.

If you can't afford a conventional college

It's a truth that's been stated again and again: college is expensive.  However, a fact that often goes unremarked upon is that a good chunk of that expense comes from non-academic peripherals.  How much does that dorm room cost you?  That dining plan?  You're even paying for the janitors who clean the classrooms at night.  Even if you save some cash by living at home, how much time and money do you sink into gas or subway cards?  Education is an invaluable asset, but you can make sure that you're only paying for the education.  Take an online class and save yourself the extra fees.

If you can't travel

There are any number of reasons that people can't physically make it onto a college campus.  Disabilities and diseases come into mind as the most pressing concerns, but you could also suffer from homesickness, can't imagine life without baguettes from that bakery on corner, or have a crippling fear of getting into a car (the scientific term is hodophobia.)  Whatever your background, you don't have to travel anywhere to attend an online art college.

There are millions of prospective art students out there, and each one has a unique set of circumstances.  For some, uncontrollable aspects of their life may be a limiting factor in the pursuit of an education.  Whether these reasons be silly or serious, the advent of online art colleges is changing the way that art is studied.  And it may just be that these digital institutions are perfect for you.