Online learning is one of the main alternatives to traditional classroom learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the new regular periods. Online learning has been used at many educational levels on a range of platforms. Numerous studies have shown that online education is beneficial across all academic levels and topic areas. This study aims to assess students’ preparedness for online learning during the COVID-19 epidemic at higher education institutions. A quantitative strategy built on a survey method was employed for this research project. Students from higher education institutes in Kosovo were purposefully chosen as the study group. One thousand five hundred people were selected as a sample from the target population. The simple-to-use structural equation modeling (SEM) model was utilized to examine the data in this paper. This methodology assesses how prepared students from Kosovo are for online learning. Self-directed learning (SDL), learner control, learner motivation, and online communication self-efficacy were the five components of that scale. The study confirmed that because they were driven to learn in this e-learning environment, students at higher education institutions (HEIs) were considerably more personalized and successful in their decisions about their online educational lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.