In 2007–08, about 4.3 million undergraduate students, or 20 percent of all undergraduates, took at least one distance education course. About 0.8 million, or 4 percent of all undergraduates, took their entire program through distance education.
Distance education courses and programs provide flexible learning opportunities to both undergraduate and postbaccalaureate students. In this indicator, distance education courses include live, interactive audio- or videoconferencing; prerecorded instructional videos; webcasts; CD-ROMs or DVDs; or computer-based systems accessed over the Internet. Distance education does not include correspondence courses. In 2007–08, about 4.3 million undergraduate students, or 20 percent of all undergraduates, took at least one distance education course (see table A-43-1). About 0.8 million, or 4 percent of all undergraduates, took their entire program through distance education. The percentage of undergraduates who took any distance education courses rose from 16 percent in 2003–04 to 20 percent in 2007–08; over the same period, however, the percentage who took their entire program through distance education decreased from 5 to 4 percent. In addition to these undergraduate students, about 0.8 million, or 22 percent, of all postbaccalaureate students took distance education courses in 2007–08 (see table A-43-2). The percentage of postbaccalaureate students who took their entire program through distance education (9 percent) was higher than the percentage at the undergraduate level.
There were differences in the percentage of students participating in distance education programs by institutional control in 2007–08. A lower percentage of students at private not-for-profit institutions (14 percent) took distance education courses than students at public institutions (22 percent) or students at private for-profit institutions (21 percent) (see table A-43-1). Also, a higher percentage of students at private for-profit institutions (12 percent) took their entire program through distance education than students at either public institutions or private not-for-profit institutions (both 3 percent). Within the specific institutional controls and levels, a higher percentage of students at private for-profit 4-year institutions (30 percent) took distance education courses than students at any other control and level of institution, ranging from 6 percent at private for-profit less-than-2-year institutions to 24 percent at public 2-year institutions. Similarly, a higher percentage of students at private for-profit 4-year institutions took their entire program through distance education (19 percent) than students at any other control and level of institution, ranging from 2 percent at public less-than-2-year, public 4-year, and private for-profit less-than-2-year institutions to 8 percent at private for-profit 2-year institutions.
Participation in distance education programs also varied by student characteristics. A higher percentage of older than younger undergraduate students took distance education courses. In 2007–08, for example, 30 percent of students 30 years old and over took distance education courses, compared to 26 percent of students 24 to 29 years of age and 15 percent of students 15 to 23 years of age (see table A-43-1). A higher percentage of undergraduates who had a job took distance education courses (22 percent) than those who had no job (16 percent) and a higher percentage of students attending classes exclusively part time took distance education courses (25 percent) than those attending classes exclusively full time (17 percent).
There also were differences in distance education participation by student dependency status. In 2007–08, a lower percentage of undergraduates who were financially dependent (14 percent) took distance education courses than undergraduates who were financially independent (see table A-43-1). A higher percentage of independent undergraduates who were married and had dependents took distance education courses (33 percent) than did other types of independent undergraduates, including those who were unmarried, with or without dependents, as well as those who were married and without dependents (percentages for these three groups ranged from 24 to 29 percent). Similarly, a higher percentage of married postbaccalaureate students with dependents took distance education courses (33 percent) and took their entire program through distance education (16 percent) than did unmarried postbaccalaureate students with no dependents (5 percent) (see table A-43-2).
Technical Notes
Estimates pertain to all postsecondary students who enrolled at any time during the school year at an institution participating in Title IV programs. Distance education participation includes participation at any institution for students attending more than one institution during the school year. For more information on the National Postsecondary Student Financial Aid Study (NPSAS), see supplemental note 3. For more information on the classification of postsecondary education institutions, see supplemental note 8.
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