Distance Education In IPEDS
On this page, you will find information about how distance education (DE) is defined in IPEDS and which survey components collect data on DE courses and/or programs.
On this page, you will find information about how distance education (DE) is defined in IPEDS and which survey components collect data on DE courses and/or programs.
Coronavirus Pandemic Guidance
The Coronavirus Pandemic has forced many institutions to provide remote instruction that would otherwise have been delivered
in-person. Please note that survey-specific guidance about how to report IPEDS data given the effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic are provided within each survey form and instructions package.
In general, when reporting data on DE courses in IC, E12, and EF, institutions SHOULD include remote learning implemented in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. When reporting data on DE programs in IC and C, institutions SHOULD NOT include remote learning implemented in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic unless the program anticipates maintaining this modality permanently. Allowing program completion via DE is not the same as having planned full DE programs.
Defining Distance Education
What is distance education?
Distance education (DE) is education that uses one or more types of technology to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously. The following types of technology may be used for distance instruction:
- Internet;
- Satellite or wireless communication; and
- Audio and video conferencing
Courses and programs are considered DE if ALL of their instructional portions can be completed remotely. Non-instructional in-person requirements (e.g., orientation and testing) do not exclude a course or program from being classified as exclusively DE:
What constitutes a distance education program?
Distance Education in IPEDS
IPEDS collects data on DE in four survey components: Institutional Characteristics (IC), 12-month Enrollment (E12), Fall Enrollment (EF), and Completions (C).
Which survey components collect distance education data at the course and/or the program levels?
How do IPEDS survey components collect distance education information?
Overview of DE data collection in IPEDS
Institutional Characteristics (IC)
The IC survey component includes two DE questions under Part C that capture (1) whether institutions offer DE courses and/or programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels; and (2) whether all programs offered are exclusively DE. The same questions appear for all institutions:
12-month Enrollment (E12)
The E12 survey component includes one DE question under Part A that captures the number of students enrolled in the following DE categories over a 12-month period:
- Enrolled exclusively in DE courses;
- Enrolled in at least one, but not all, DE courses; and
- Not enrolled in any DE courses.
This information is collected for undergraduate, graduate, degree/certificate-seeking, and non-degree/non-certificate-seeking students depending on the level (2-year or 4-year) and degree-granting status of the institution. Here is what the question looks like for a 4-year degree-granting institution:
12-month Enrollment (E12)
The E12 survey component includes one DE question under Part A that captures the number of students enrolled in the following DE categories over a 12-month period:
- Enrolled exclusively in DE courses;
- Enrolled in at least one, but not all, DE courses; and
- Not enrolled in any DE courses.
This information is collected for undergraduate, graduate, degree/certificate-seeking, and non-degree/non-certificate-seeking students depending on the level (2-year or 4-year) and degree-granting status of the institution.
The following diagram outlines the DE question in the E12 survey component:
Fall Enrollment (EF)
The EF survey component includes two DE questions under Part A. The first question is structured much like the DE question in E12 and captures the number of students enrolled in the following DE categories in the fall term:
- Enrolled exclusively in DE courses;
- Enrolled in at least one, but not all, DE courses; and
- Not enrolled in any DE courses.
The second question is applicable only for students enrolled exclusively in DE courses in the fall term. It captures the number of those DE students by location1:
- Located in the same state/jurisdiction as the institution
- Located in the U.S. but not in the same state/jurisdiction as the institution
- Located in the U.S. but state/jurisdiction unknown
- Located outside the U.S.
- Location unknown/unreported
Both EF questions count undergraduate, graduate, degree/certificate-seeking, and non-degree/non-certificate-seeking students depending on the level (2-year or 4-year) and degree-granting status of the institution. Here is what the questions look like for a 4-year degree-granting institution:
1 Location for students enrolled exclusively in distance education should be their physical location or current address, as of the institution’s fall reporting date. If this is not available, institutions should use the address on file for the student. For students enlisted in the military on active duty, the permanent address should be used instead of the student’s physical location. Students located in U.S. jurisdictions or territories (like Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands) while they are enrolled in distance education courses should be reported as located in the U.S.
Fall Enrollment (EF)
The EF survey component includes two DE questions under Part A. The first question is structured much like the DE question in the E12 survey component and captures the number of students enrolled in the following DE categories in the fall term:
- Enrolled exclusively in DE courses;
- Enrolled in at least one, but not all, DE courses; and
- Not enrolled in any DE courses.
The second question is applicable only for students enrolled exclusively in DE courses in the fall term. It captures the number of DE-enrolled students by location1:
- Located in the same state/jurisdiction as the institution
- Located in the U.S. but not in the same state/jurisdiction as the institution
- Located in the U.S. but state/jurisdiction unknown
- Located outside the U.S.
- Location unknown/unreported
Both EF questions count undergraduate, graduate, degree/certificate-seeking, and non-degree/non-certificate-seeking students depending on the level (2-year or 4-year) and degree-granting status of the institution:
The following diagram outlines the DE questions in the EF survey component:
1 Location for students enrolled exclusively in distance education should be their physical location or current address, as of the institution’s fall reporting date. If this is not available, institutions should use the address on file for the student. For students enlisted in the military on active duty, the permanent address should be used instead of the student’s physical location. Students located in U.S. jurisdictions or territories (like Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands) while they are enrolled in distance education courses should be reported as located in the U.S.
Completions (C)
The C survey component includes one DE question on the CIP data screen that captures whether all, some, or none of the programs within each CIP code and award level can be completed entirely via DE. The C DE question does NOT capture the number of students who completed a program via DE. Instead, it captures information on whether it is possible for students to complete programs via DE by CIP code, adding further differentiation to the DE program questions in the IC survey component.
The same question appears for all institutions:
Completions (C)
The C survey component includes one DE question on the CIP data screen that captures whether all, some, or none of the programs within each CIP code and award level can be completed entirely via DE. The C DE question does NOT capture the number of students who completed a program via DE. Instead, it captures information on whether it is possible for students to complete programs via DE by CIP code, adding further differentiation to the DE program questions in IC. The same question appears for all institutions.
The following diagram outlines the DE question in the C survey component
The same question appears for all institutions:
| Survey component |
Collection period | Data coverage period |
DE courses | DE programs | Response type(s) | Data collected | Notes/ Guidance |
Common reporting errors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Institutional Characteristics
(IC) |
Fall | Current academic year | Yes | Yes | Multiple choice/checkbox | Captures whether institutions offer DE courses and/or programs for undergraduate and graduate students and whether all programs are offered exclusively via DE |
 IC notes |
 common reporting errors |
|
12-month Enrollment
(E12) |
Fall | July 1-June 30 (prior year) | Yes | No | Student counts | Captures the number of students enrolled in DE courses over 12-month period |
E12 notes |
common reporting errors |
|
Fall Enrollment
(EF) |
Spring | Institutions' official fall reporting periods | Yes | No | Student counts | Captures the number of students enrolled in DE courses in the fall term and, of the students enrolled exclusively via DE, the number located in various geographic categories |
EF notes |
common reporting errors |
|
Completions
(C) |
Fall | July 1-June 30 (prior year) | No | Yes | Multiple choice | Captures whether all, some, or none of the programs within each CIP code and award level can be completed entirely via DE. |
C notes |
common reporting errors |
How is distance education reporting integrated across IPEDS surveys?
IC data are the foundation of the entire IPEDS system. If DE course offerings are reported in IC, DE course enrollments should be reported in E12 and EF. Similarly, if DE program offerings are reported in IC, they should also be reported in C. Data submitters will receive error messages asking them to correct or explain their submission if DE data seem inconsistent between surveys or differ substantially with prior-year reporting.
Click on the graphic to view more detail on connections between surveys.
How are distance education data used?
- Data on DE courses and programs provide researchers and policymakers with more accurate information about higher education opportunities. Stakeholders and researchers can reference data on DE courses and programs through the Digest of Education Statistics and the IPEDS Trend Generator.
- Data collected on DE course and program offerings also allow institutions to compare their DE activities with those of their peers through an IPEDS Data Feedback Report.
- Perhaps most importantly, College Navigator provides valuable consumer information to students and parents by featuring information on DE enrollment and DE program offerings.
