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Digest of Education Statistics
2016 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


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 2014 and fall 2015
Year, level of enrollment, and control and level of institution Number of students Percent of students
Total No distance education courses Taking any distance education course(s) Total No distance educa-tion courses Taking any distance education course(s)
Total, any distance education course(s) At least one, but not all, of student's courses Exclusively distance education courses,
by location of student
Total, any distance education course(s) At least one, but not all, of student's courses Exclusively distance education courses,
by location of student
Total Same state Different state State not known Outside of the United States Loca-tion unknown Total Same state Differ-ent state State not known Outside of the United States Location unknown
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Fall 2014                                        
All students,
       total
20,207,369 14,456,952 5,750,417 2,926,083 2,824,334 1,510,779 1,154,608 31,676 37,071 90,200 100.0 71.5 28.5 14.5 14.0 7.5 5.7 0.2 0.2 0.4
                                         
Public 14,655,015 10,759,400 3,895,615 2,513,718 1,381,897 1,155,511 189,713 9,343 12,291 15,039 100.0 73.4 26.6 17.2 9.4 7.9 1.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
Private 5,552,354 3,697,552 1,854,802 412,365 1,442,437 355,268 964,895 22,333 24,780 75,161 100.0 66.6 33.4 7.4 26.0 6.4 17.4 0.4 0.4 1.4
Nonprofit 3,996,089 3,096,278 899,811 295,593 604,218 230,083 332,355 11,938 10,878 18,964 100.0 77.5 22.5 7.4 15.1 5.8 8.3 0.3 0.3 0.5
For-profit 1,556,265 601,274 954,991 116,772 838,219 125,185 632,540 10,395 13,902 56,197 100.0 38.6 61.4 7.5 53.9 8.0 40.6 0.7 0.9 3.6
                                         
Fall 2015                                        
All students,
       total
19,977,270 14,023,149 5,954,121 3,082,333 2,871,788 1,591,656 1,181,056 31,828 36,790 30,458 100.0 70.2 29.8 15.4 14.4 8.0 5.9 0.2 0.2 0.2
                                         
4-year 13,486,342 9,400,295 4,086,047 1,941,945 2,144,102 910,253 1,144,717 28,033 33,022 28,077 100.0 69.7 30.3 14.4 15.9 6.7 8.5 0.2 0.2 0.2
2-year 6,490,928 4,622,854 1,868,074 1,140,388 727,686 681,403 36,339 3,795 3,768 2,381 100.0 71.2 28.8 17.6 11.2 10.5 0.6 0.1 0.1 #
                                         
Public 14,568,103 10,492,151 4,075,952 2,619,880 1,456,072 1,232,965 185,488 9,624 14,078 13,917 100.0 72.0 28.0 18.0 10.0 8.5 1.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
4-year 8,352,437 6,102,207 2,250,230 1,510,848 739,382 556,451 155,024 5,831 10,343 11,733 100.0 73.1 26.9 18.1 8.9 6.7 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.1
2-year 6,215,666 4,389,944 1,825,722 1,109,032 716,690 676,514 30,464 3,793 3,735 2,184 100.0 70.6 29.4 17.8 11.5 10.9 0.5 0.1 0.1 #
                                         
Private 5,409,167 3,530,998 1,878,169 462,453 1,415,716 358,691 995,568 22,204 22,712 16,541 100.0 65.3 34.7 8.5 26.2 6.6 18.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Nonprofit 4,063,372 3,048,401 1,014,971 346,331 668,640 242,683 382,205 20,548 9,168 14,036 100.0 75.0 25.0 8.5 16.5 6.0 9.4 0.5 0.2 0.3
4-year 4,013,323 3,014,390 998,933 331,496 667,437 241,951 381,741 20,546 9,165 14,034 100.0 75.1 24.9 8.3 16.6 6.0 9.5 0.5 0.2 0.3
2-year 50,049 34,011 16,038 14,835 1,203 732 464 2 3 2 100.0 68.0 32.0 29.6 2.4 1.5 0.9 # # #
For-profit 1,345,795 482,597 863,198 116,122 747,076 116,008 613,363 1,656 13,544 2,505 100.0 35.9 64.1 8.6 55.5 8.6 45.6 0.1 1.0 0.2
4-year 1,120,582 283,698 836,884 99,601 737,283 111,851 607,952 1,656 13,514 2,310 100.0 25.3 74.7 8.9 65.8 10.0 54.3 0.1 1.2 0.2
2-year 225,213 198,899 26,314 16,521 9,793 4,157 5,411 0 30 195 100.0 88.3 11.7 7.3 4.3 1.8 2.4 0.0 # 0.1
                                         
Undergraduate 17,036,778 12,094,521 4,942,257 2,839,348 2,102,909 1,269,819 767,038 26,299 19,521 20,232 100.0 71.0 29.0 16.7 12.3 7.5 4.5 0.2 0.1 0.1
                                         
4-year 10,545,850 7,471,667 3,074,183 1,698,960 1,375,223 588,416 730,699 22,504 15,753 17,851 100.0 70.8 29.2 16.1 13.0 5.6 6.9 0.2 0.1 0.2
2-year 6,490,928 4,622,854 1,868,074 1,140,388 727,686 681,403 36,339 3,795 3,768 2,381 100.0 71.2 28.8 17.6 11.2 10.5 0.6 0.1 0.1 #
                                         
Public 13,145,720 9,469,815 3,675,905 2,485,110 1,190,795 1,056,799 109,286 5,816 9,211 9,683 100.0 72.0 28.0 18.9 9.1 8.0 0.8 # 0.1 0.1
4-year 6,930,054 5,079,871 1,850,183 1,376,078 474,105 380,285 78,822 2,023 5,476 7,499 100.0 73.3 26.7 19.9 6.8 5.5 1.1 # 0.1 0.1
2-year 6,215,666 4,389,944 1,825,722 1,109,032 716,690 676,514 30,464 3,793 3,735 2,184 100.0 70.6 29.4 17.8 11.5 10.9 0.5 0.1 0.1 #
                                         
Private 3,891,058 2,624,706 1,266,352 354,238 912,114 213,020 657,752 20,483 10,310 10,549 100.0 67.5 32.5 9.1 23.4 5.5 16.9 0.5 0.3 0.3
Nonprofit 2,819,174 2,179,799 639,375 250,525 388,850 124,781 232,788 19,349 3,245 8,687 100.0 77.3 22.7 8.9 13.8 4.4 8.3 0.7 0.1 0.3
4-year 2,769,125 2,145,788 623,337 235,690 387,647 124,049 232,324 19,347 3,242 8,685 100.0 77.5 22.5 8.5 14.0 4.5 8.4 0.7 0.1 0.3
2-year 50,049 34,011 16,038 14,835 1,203 732 464 2 3 2 100.0 68.0 32.0 29.6 2.4 1.5 0.9 # # #
For-profit 1,071,884 444,907 626,977 103,713 523,264 88,239 424,964 1,134 7,065 1,862 100.0 41.5 58.5 9.7 48.8 8.2 39.6 0.1 0.7 0.2
4-year 846,671 246,008 600,663 87,192 513,471 84,082 419,553 1,134 7,035 1,667 100.0 29.1 70.9 10.3 60.6 9.9 49.6 0.1 0.8 0.2
2-year 225,213 198,899 26,314 16,521 9,793 4,157 5,411 0 30 195 100.0 88.3 11.7 7.3 4.3 1.8 2.4 0.0 # 0.1
                                         
Postbaccalaureate 2,940,492 1,928,628 1,011,864 242,985 768,879 321,837 414,018 5,529 17,269 10,226 100.0 65.6 34.4 8.3 26.1 10.9 14.1 0.2 0.6 0.3
                                         
Public 1,422,383 1,022,336 400,047 134,770 265,277 176,166 76,202 3,808 4,867 4,234 100.0 71.9 28.1 9.5 18.7 12.4 5.4 0.3 0.3 0.3
Private 1,518,109 906,292 611,817 108,215 503,602 145,671 337,816 1,721 12,402 5,992 100.0 59.7 40.3 7.1 33.2 9.6 22.3 0.1 0.8 0.4
Nonprofit 1,244,198 868,602 375,596 95,806 279,790 117,902 149,417 1,199 5,923 5,349 100.0 69.8 30.2 7.7 22.5 9.5 12.0 0.1 0.5 0.4
For-profit 273,911 37,690 236,221 12,409 223,812 27,769 188,399 522 6,479 643 100.0 13.8 86.2 4.5 81.7 10.1 68.8 0.2 2.4 0.2
#Rounds to zero.
NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2015 and Spring 2016, Fall Enrollment component. (This table was prepared February 2017.)

2016 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest