Some of the best-known universities in the world are making big moves into online education. 

US education-technology company 2U runs graduate programs for dozens of top universities. 2U has announced it is buying web-based course provider edX, which was founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for US$800 million.

The deal will bring together two of the biggest players in online instruction. Experts see it as a clear sign that universities are aggressively chasing digital offerings. 

EdX was founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 with the aim of democratising elite education with free classes, taught by top professors, available worldwide. 

It has since added free completion certificates and a sequence for courses that could lead to credentials and ultimately a degree. 

EdX now has over 160 university partners, offering more than 2,000 courses in areas including machine learning, negotiations and computer programming.

The people behind the 2U deal say they will maintain the open-access course platform built by edX, as well as invest in online research and hybrid-learning models. They also say they will work to minimise the digital divide that prevents some younger students and adults from accessing education. 

“This is early innings in the digital transformation of education,” said 2U CEO Chip Paucek, saying there will soon come a time when “online education is normalised as, simply, education.” 

EdX will operate as a public-benefit entity within 2U, which says it will continue offering free access for those who just want to audit classes and not earn credentials.

2U is largely involved in the nuts and bolts of online education; marketing to prospective students and running web platforms for around 80 partner schools.

2U has also expanded into online boot camps and technical-training programs, and has a forecast revenue of US$940 million this year. 

The deal is undergoing regulatory approval and could be complete later this year.