Distance learning

Question:
How many students take distance learning courses at the postsecondary level?

Response:
Undergraduate Enrollment by Distance Education Participation

Distance education¹ courses and programs provide students with flexible learning opportunities. In fall 2021, some 9.4 million students, or 61 percent of all undergraduate students, were enrolled in at least one distance education course. Some 4.4 million students, or 28 percent of all undergraduate students, took distance education courses exclusively. As a percentage of total undergraduate enrollment in fall 2021, participation in distance education was lower than in fall 2020,² the first fall of the coronavirus pandemic, but remained higher than fall 2019. Specifically, the percentage of undergraduate students enrolled in at least one distance education course was

• 36 percent in 2019;
• 75 percent in 2020; and
• 61 percent in 2021.

The percentage of undergraduate students who took distance education courses exclusively was

• 15 percent in 2019;
• 44 percent in 2020; and
• 28 percent in 2021.

Of the undergraduate students who took distance education courses exclusively, 3.2 million (74 percent) were enrolled in institutions located in the same state in which they resided and 1.0 million (23 percent) were enrolled in institutions in a different state.³

In fall 2021, the percentage of undergraduate students who took distance education courses exclusively varied by control of the institution at which those students were enrolled. Specifically, those who were enrolled in distance education courses exclusively made up

• 58 percent of students at private for-profit institutions;
• 28 percent of students at public institutions; and
• 21 percent of students at private nonprofit institutions.

In particular, the percentage of students who took distance education courses exclusively was highest at private for-profit 4-year institutions (71 percent). Despite enrolling only 4 percent of undergraduates, private for-profit 4-year institutions accounted for 10 percent of undergraduates who were enrolled exclusively in distance education courses.

---

¹ Distance education uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the student and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously. Technologies used for instruction may include the following: the internet; one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcasts, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communication devices; audio conferencing; and videocassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, only if the videocassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs are used in a course in conjunction with the technologies listed above.
² According to the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20), 84 percent of undergraduate students reported having some or all classes moved to online-only instruction in spring 2020 due to the pandemic. For more information, see the First Look at the Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Undergraduate Student Enrollment, Housing, and Finances (Preliminary Data) (NCES 2021-456).
³ Not all students taking distance education courses exclusively are specified separately in this comparison; for instance, students residing outside the United States or those whose location is unknown are not specified separately. Percentages were based on all students who took distance education courses exclusively, regardless of their location.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Undergraduate Enrollment. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cha.

Numbers in figure titles reflect original numeration from source Condition of Education indicators.

---

Postbaccalaureate Enrollment by Distance Education Enrollment

In fall 2021, some 1.8 million postbaccalaureate students were enrolled in at least one distance education course, including 1.3 million who took distance education courses exclusively. As a percentage of total postbaccalaureate enrollment, participation in distance education in fall 2021 was lower than in fall 2020, the first fall of the coronavirus pandemic, but higher than in fall 2019. Specifically, the percentage of postbaccalaureate students enrolled in at least one distance education course was

• 42 percent in 2019;
• 71 percent in 2020; and
• 56 percent in 2021.

The percentage of postbaccalaureate students who took distance education courses exclusively was

• 33 percent in 2019;
• 52 percent in 2020; and
• 40 percent in 2021.

Among students who took distance education courses exclusively in 2021, some 47 percent (608,500 students) were enrolled at institutions located in the same state in which they resided and 48 percent (622,500 students) were enrolled at institutions in a different state.¹ In comparison, in 2020 some 52 percent were enrolled at institutions in the same state, and 41 percent were enrolled at institutions in a different state.

In fall 2021, the percentage of postbaccalaureate students who took distance education courses varied by control of institution (i.e., public, private nonprofit, or private for-profit) at which those students were enrolled. For example, the percentage of students who were enrolled exclusively in distance education was

• 88 percent of students at private for-profit institutions;
• 38 percent of students at private nonprofit institutions;and
• 36 percent of students at public institutions.

The percentage of students who did not take any distance education courses was higher for those enrolled at public (47 percent) and private nonprofit (46 percent) institutions than for those enrolled at private for-profit (7 percent) institutions.

---

¹ Some students taking distance education courses exclusively, such as those who are residing outside the United States and those whose location is unknown, are not included in this comparison.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Postbaccalaureate Enrollment. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/chb.

Numbers in figure titles reflect original numeration from source Condition of Education indicators.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2023, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 311.15. Number and percentage of students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by distance education participation, location of student, level of enrollment, and control and level of institution: Fall 2020 and fall 2021
  
• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 311.22. Number and percentage of undergraduate students enrolled in distance education or online classes and degree programs, by selected characteristics: Selected years, 2003–04 through 2015–16
  
• 2022, Digest of Education Statistics 2021, Table 311.33. Selected statistics for degree-granting postsecondary institutions that primarily offer online programs, by control of institution and selected characteristics: Fall 2020 and 2019–20
  
• 2019, Profile of Undergraduate Students: 2015–16 (Web Tables)
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2023, IPEDS Trend Generator: Percent of students enrolled in distance education courses, by state and distance education status of student: 2021
  
• 2023, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.
  
• 2021, A What Works Clearinghouse Rapid Evidence Review of Distance Learning Programs
  
• 2021, First Look at the Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Undergraduate Student Enrollment, Housing, and Finances (Preliminary Data)
  
• 2021, NCES Blog: Distance Education in College: What Do We Know From IPEDS?