The paper deals with the complex theme of the online universities in Italy, starting from the phenomenon historical reconstruction and framing the universities on the basis of the main analysis metrics (property, training offer, organic, territorial dislocation). Subsequently, the paper examines the composition and characteristics of the students who choose this type of university, comparing them not only with those of the students of the courses in the presence of state and non -state universities that are not online, but also with those of the students of the courses paid at a distance in these universities.