Another thing that lowers course completion rates, unmentioned yet, is that most of Udacity's classes are on the challenging side of college courses. They are

Another thing that lowers course completion rates, unmentioned yet, is that most of Udacity's classes are on the challenging side of college courses. They are mostly STEM classes and many equivalent to upper division courses as well. So it isn't surprising the NPR article reports only the most studious SJSU students benefited. The vast majority of SJSU students, and students from other colleges as well, would find these courses challenging also, with or without in-person support. I don't think that's an insurmountable problem, with the course notes being better designed and readily available (as compared to a disinterested professor + textbook). On the other side, many students don't bother talking to their professors and TAs anyway.