How many postsecondary institutions offer distance learning programs?
In the 2006–07 academic year, 66 percent of the 4,160 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the nation offered college-level distance education courses. The overall percentage includes 97 percent of public 2-year institutions, 18 percent of private for-profit 2-year institutions, 89 percent of public 4-year institutions, 53 percent of private not-for-profit institutions, and 70 percent of private for-profit 4-year institutions.
Sixty-five percent of the institutions reported college-level credit-granting distance education courses, and 23 percent reported noncredit distance education courses. There was a total of an estimated 12.2 million enrollments (or registrations) in college-level credit-granting distance education courses in 2006–07. Of these enrollments, 77 percent were reported in online courses, 12 percent were reported in hybrid/blended online courses, and 10 percent were reported in other types of distance education courses.
In 2006–07, there were approximately 11,200 college-level programs that were designed to be completed totally through distance education; 66 percent of these programs were reported as degree programs and the remaining 34 percent were reported as certificate programs.
| Total number of 2-year and -year Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions, and percent that offered distance education courses, by course type and institutional type: 2006-07 | ||||
| Institution type | Total number of institutions | Percent offered any distance education courses | Percent offered college-level credit-granting distance education courses | Percent offered noncredit distance education courses |
| All institutions | 4,200 | 66 | 65 | 23 |
| Institution type | ||||
| Public 2-year | 1,000 | 97 | 97 | 50 |
| Private for-profit 2-year | 500 | 18 | 16 | ‡ |
| Public 4-year | 600 | 89 | 88 | 42 |
| Private not-for-profit 4-year | 1,500 | 53 | 53 | 10 |
| Private for-profit 4-year | 300 | 70 | 70 | 2 |
‡ Reporting standards not met.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2008). Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2006–07 (NCES 2009-044), Table 1
