Once you start to nail down the other costs of online learning, it is time to consider what software, hardware and supplies you may need. 

Most schools list the required hardware and software for their particular courses on their sites.  Courses heavy in multimedia content often recommend a high speed Internet connection and newer computer.  However, almost any Internet-ready PC bought in the last four or five years will suffice for most text-based classes.

Getting the Right Plug-ins

You may need browser 'plug-ins' for some classes.  Click on a link below to obtain any of the four most likely (free) browser plug-ins you will need for online learning...

• Adobe PDF Reader - for viewing Portable Document Files (PDF)
• Quicktime Player - for viewing movies
• RealPlayer - for viewing movies
• Flash Player - for viewing animation

In addition to software and office supplies, you might consider buying a high-quality printer if you don't have one. Anything longer than a few pages is still far easier to read offline.