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Digest of Education Statistics
2017 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 2015 and fall 2016
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 2015                                        
All students,
       total
19,988,204 14,022,391 5,965,813 3,090,943 2,874,870 1,593,566 1,182,332 31,974 36,443 30,555 100.0 70.2 29.8 15.5 14.4 8.0 5.9 0.2 0.2 0.2
                                         
Public 14,572,843 10,485,829 4,087,014 2,631,481 1,455,533 1,232,478 185,270 9,601 14,090 14,094 100.0 72.0 28.0 18.1 10.0 8.5 1.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
Private 5,415,361 3,536,562 1,878,799 459,462 1,419,337 361,088 997,062 22,373 22,353 16,461 100.0 65.3 34.7 8.5 26.2 6.7 18.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Nonprofit 4,065,891 3,053,822 1,012,069 343,348 668,721 244,853 380,387 20,696 8,829 13,956 100.0 75.1 24.9 8.4 16.4 6.0 9.4 0.5 0.2 0.3
For-profit 1,349,470 482,740 866,730 116,114 750,616 116,235 616,675 1,677 13,524 2,505 100.0 35.8 64.2 8.6 55.6 8.6 45.7 0.1 1.0 0.2
                                         
Fall 2016                                        
All students,
       total
19,841,014 13,546,213 6,294,801 3,322,186 2,972,615 1,677,966 1,213,643 15,768 42,690 22,548 100.0 68.3 31.7 16.7 15.0 8.5 6.1 0.1 0.2 0.1
                                         
4-year 13,750,769 9,323,954 4,426,815 2,189,598 2,237,217 1,006,552 1,163,115 12,113 38,814 16,623 100.0 67.8 32.2 15.9 16.3 7.3 8.5 0.1 0.3 0.1
2-year 6,090,245 4,222,259 1,867,986 1,132,588 735,398 671,414 50,528 3,655 3,876 5,925 100.0 69.3 30.7 18.6 12.1 11.0 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.1
                                         
Public 14,582,972 10,206,830 4,376,142 2,830,635 1,545,507 1,301,884 202,584 9,956 16,265 14,818 100.0 70.0 30.0 19.4 10.6 8.9 1.4 0.1 0.1 0.1
4-year 8,741,896 6,185,827 2,556,069 1,718,845 837,224 637,366 172,124 6,316 12,427 8,991 100.0 70.8 29.2 19.7 9.6 7.3 2.0 0.1 0.1 0.1
2-year 5,841,076 4,021,003 1,820,073 1,111,790 708,283 664,518 30,460 3,640 3,838 5,827 100.0 68.8 31.2 19.0 12.1 11.4 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1
                                         
Private 5,258,042 3,339,383 1,918,659 491,551 1,427,108 376,082 1,011,059 5,812 26,425 7,730 100.0 63.5 36.5 9.3 27.1 7.2 19.2 0.1 0.5 0.1
Nonprofit 4,077,797 2,980,748 1,097,049 368,431 728,618 262,480 442,206 3,453 14,353 6,126 100.0 73.1 26.9 9.0 17.9 6.4 10.8 0.1 0.4 0.2
4-year 4,027,240 2,950,660 1,076,580 365,507 711,073 259,780 427,363 3,453 14,352 6,125 100.0 73.3 26.7 9.1 17.7 6.5 10.6 0.1 0.4 0.2
2-year 50,557 30,088 20,469 2,924 17,545 2,700 14,843 0 1 1 100.0 59.5 40.5 5.8 34.7 5.3 29.4 # # #
For-profit 1,180,245 358,635 821,610 123,120 698,490 113,602 568,853 2,359 12,072 1,604 100.0 30.4 69.6 10.4 59.2 9.6 48.2 0.2 1.0 0.1
4-year 981,633 187,467 794,166 105,246 688,920 109,406 563,628 2,344 12,035 1,507 100.0 19.1 80.9 10.7 70.2 11.1 57.4 0.2 1.2 0.2
2-year 198,612 171,168 27,444 17,874 9,570 4,196 5,225 15 37 97 100.0 86.2 13.8 9.0 4.8 2.1 2.6 # # #
                                         
Undergraduate 16,869,212 11,668,938 5,200,274 3,046,234 2,154,040 1,327,524 773,561 10,303 24,356 18,296 100.0 69.2 30.8 18.1 12.8 7.9 4.6 0.1 0.1 0.1
                                         
4-year 10,778,967 7,446,679 3,332,288 1,913,646 1,418,642 656,110 723,033 6,648 20,480 12,371 100.0 69.1 30.9 17.8 13.2 6.1 6.7 0.1 0.2 0.1
2-year 6,090,245 4,222,259 1,867,986 1,132,588 735,398 671,414 50,528 3,655 3,876 5,925 100.0 69.3 30.7 18.6 12.1 11.0 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.1
                                         
Public 13,141,086 9,205,522 3,935,564 2,681,635 1,253,929 1,107,088 116,835 6,382 10,184 13,440 100.0 70.1 29.9 20.4 9.5 8.4 0.9 # 0.1 0.1
4-year 7,300,010 5,184,519 2,115,491 1,569,845 545,646 442,570 86,375 2,742 6,346 7,613 100.0 71.0 29.0 21.5 7.5 6.1 1.2 # 0.1 0.1
2-year 5,841,076 4,021,003 1,820,073 1,111,790 708,283 664,518 30,460 3,640 3,838 5,827 100.0 68.8 31.2 19.0 12.1 11.4 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1
                                         
Private 3,728,126 2,463,416 1,264,710 364,599 900,111 220,436 656,726 3,921 14,172 4,856 100.0 66.1 33.9 9.8 24.1 5.9 17.6 0.1 0.4 0.1
Nonprofit 2,812,769 2,136,962 675,807 252,842 422,965 134,325 275,012 1,785 8,289 3,554 100.0 76.0 24.0 9.0 15.0 4.8 9.8 0.1 0.3 0.1
4-year 2,762,212 2,106,874 655,338 249,918 405,420 131,625 260,169 1,785 8,288 3,553 100.0 76.3 23.7 9.0 14.7 4.8 9.4 0.1 0.3 0.1
2-year 50,557 30,088 20,469 2,924 17,545 2,700 14,843 0 1 1 100.0 59.5 40.5 5.8 34.7 5.3 29.4 # # #
For-profit 915,357 326,454 588,903 111,757 477,146 86,111 381,714 2,136 5,883 1,302 100.0 35.7 64.3 12.2 52.1 9.4 41.7 0.2 0.6 0.1
4-year 716,745 155,286 561,459 93,883 467,576 81,915 376,489 2,121 5,846 1,205 100.0 21.7 78.3 13.1 65.2 11.4 52.5 0.3 0.8 0.2
2-year 198,612 171,168 27,444 17,874 9,570 4,196 5,225 15 37 97 100.0 86.2 13.8 9.0 4.8 2.1 2.6 # # #
                                         
Postbaccalaureate 2,971,802 1,877,275 1,094,527 275,952 818,575 350,442 440,082 5,465 18,334 4,252 100.0 63.2 36.8 9.3 27.5 11.8 14.8 0.2 0.6 0.1
                                         
Public 1,441,886 1,001,308 440,578 149,000 291,578 194,796 85,749 3,574 6,081 1,378 100.0 69.4 30.6 10.3 20.2 13.5 5.9 0.2 0.4 0.1
Private 1,529,916 875,967 653,949 126,952 526,997 155,646 354,333 1,891 12,253 2,874 100.0 57.3 42.7 8.3 34.4 10.2 23.2 0.1 0.8 0.2
Nonprofit 1,265,028 843,786 421,242 115,589 305,653 128,155 167,194 1,668 6,064 2,572 100.0 66.7 33.3 9.1 24.2 10.1 13.2 0.1 0.5 0.2
For-profit 264,888 32,181 232,707 11,363 221,344 27,491 187,139 223 6,189 302 100.0 12.1 87.9 4.3 83.6 10.4 70.6 0.1 2.3 0.1
#Rounds to zero.
NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2016 and Spring 2017, Fall Enrollment component. (This table was prepared January 2018.)

2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest