For busy working professionals considering an MBA, online programs can certainly have their appeal.Online MBA students get to avoid the daily commute to campus and keep their day jobs without relocating across the country.

But students who think they can complete their degree without ever filling up the gas tank or banking some air miles may be mistaken.

Some online MBA options – and many of the top programs – have residency components that require students to meet up at certain locations throughout the year. Students may spend days or weeks participating in seminars, socializing and learning from business leaders.

[Explore networking tips for online MBA students.]

"For online MBA programs at any business school of national status, a required residency component (big or small) is predominant," says Phil Powell, faculty chairman of Kelly Direct, Indiana University'sonline business school programs, through email. "I think it has evolved as a common standard."

While residencies can have a host of benefits, including making an online MBA program feel intimate, experts say they're not always a viable option for prospective students in terms of time and money. Before students choose to pursue a program with a residency program, in other words, they should have a sense of what they're getting into.

Among the potential benefits of online MBA residencies is the chance to build a professional network. 

While establishing personal and professional connections is one of the most important parts of MBA programs, creating that network in an online program isn't always easy. "One of the challenges of an online MBA is that you really don't get that personal touch – it can be a bit distant," says Hansel Rodriguez, a student at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill's online MBA program, called MBA@UNC.

Rodriguez got a chance to strengthen his network by taking part in three residencies, or what his program calls immersions, in New York, San Francisco and Mumbai, India. 

UNC's program requires students to participate in a three-day immersion experience from Friday through Sunday at least twice during their studies. The weekends, which are offered both domestically and abroad, combine classes, socializing and meetings with business and thought leaders. 

"It gives you the opportunity to see your classmates in a social setting, and you get to build those social relationships," says Rodriguez, director of operations for the National Security Council at the White House. "I just went to a classmate of mine's wedding – it shows you the kind of relationships you get to build." 

Another perk of residencies, experts say, is their ability to enhance the MBA educational experience​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. While students can soak up a lot of knowledge in an online classroom, residency requirements can give them ​face-to-face access to businesses, industry leaders and faculty who they may not encounter elsewhere.  

[Seek online MBA programs that provide travel opportunities.]

Leah Miller, a student​ in the online MBA program at Pennsylvania State University—World Campus​, says the chance to have practical experience outside the classroom was one of the main reasons she chose​ a program with a residency. In May of 2014, ​she and her classmates had a weeklong​ stay in Virginia, where they shadowed and studied the Mitre ​Corporation, a nonprofit company that operates federally funded research and development centers. At the end of the residency, students were expected to create a presentation analyzing the company.

"There was someone of the executive level at everything we did," says Miller. "Having that time to interact with them, that was really eye-opening for us."

Unfortunately, even prospective students who want a residency requirement might not be able to swing it. 

"Possible drawbacks would probably be logistics and financing," says Ashley Kilburn, MBA coordinator for the University of Tennessee—Martin. Students typically have to front ​travel costs and use vacation days for these opportunities, she says. 

Some companies may allow students to attend a residency without using vacation days, but that is rare, Kilburn says. 

Miller, manager of operations innovation at The Hershey Company​, was able to get her company to let her attend residency without taking vacation days by explaining how the program would help her better manage capital projects, part of her job.

The downside: On top of 12 hours a day of school commitments, there was still her own work to do. "It was a tough week," she says. taken by/usnews.com