50 Striking Statistics About Distance Learning in Higher Education

Distance and online learning is a big deal in higher education. Not only are more students taking online classes at traditional four-year colleges, but also the rise of innovative for-profit online schools is changing the landscape. We all know it’s happening, but now we can quantify the affect of online learning with these 50 striking statistics.

64%

of full-time faculty at community colleges teach distance education classes; part-time faculty teach 35%. Source.

72%

completion rate for online classes at community colleges, compared to 76% for traditional face-to-face courses. Source.

150%

increase in the number of students selecting distance-learning courses as a part of their regular college curriculum between 1998 and 2008. Source.

18%

of undergraduate students are predicted to receive 80% or more of their education through online courses by 2013. Source.

25%

of students enrolled in at least one online course at the associate’s degree level, compared to 17% at the bachelor’s degree level. Source.

71%

of leaders of for-profit colleges and universities report that their institutions offer classes online, and more than half (54%) say these classes offer the same value as classes taken in person. Source.

61%

of the presidents of four-year liberal arts colleges report that their institutions offer classes that are taught exclusively online, compared to 79% of presidents of research universities and 82% of those at community colleges. Source.

15%

of college students who have taken a class online have earned a degree entirely online. Source.

39%

of all adults who have taken a class online say the format’s educational value is equal to that of a course taken in a classroom. Source.

65%

of students have taken online classes. Source.

71%

of students believe that virtual learning provides increased flexibility to take classes. Source.

62%

of students believe that virtual learning provides the opportunity for professional adults to take classes while working full time. Source.

72%

of university IT staff believe that virtual learning is essential to a 21st-century classroom, compared to 63% of administrators. Source.

59%

of college IT managers surveyed say their institution offers online learning. Source.

48%

of faculty members believe that virtual learning is essential to a 21st-century classroom, compared to 53% of students. Source.

51%

of college presidents say online courses provide equal value to classroom experiences. Source.

29%

of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom. Source.

77%

of college presidents report that their institutions offer online courses. Source.

89%

of four-year public colleges and universities offer online classes, compared to 60% of four-year private schools. Source.

60%

of four-year private colleges and universities offer online classes. Source.

23%

of college graduates report that they have taken a class online. Source.

50%

of college presidents predict that 10 years from now most of their students will take classes online. Source.

91%

of two-year colleges offer online courses. Source.

58%

of college and universities that offer online courses grant degrees for which all the course work can be completed online. Source.

88%

of residential colleges and universities offer online courses to students who live on campus. Source.

15%

of college presidents report that more than half of their undergraduate students have taken an online course. Source.

90%

of online institutions based at community colleges use student evaluations. Source.

64%

of online institutions based at community colleges use some type of administrative review. Source.

75%

of community colleges develop their own content for online courses. Source.

18%

of community colleges use publisher content for online courses. Source.

5%

of community colleges use contract or license materials from content providers. Source.

40%

of community colleges own and maintain their own servers for their online classes. Source.

36%

of community colleges outsourced their server needs to a third party, such as a learning management system provider, publisher or IT provider. Source.

20%

of community colleges shared servers with others, such as a state system, district or consortium. Source.

70%

of community colleges currently offer an online student orientation for distance education classes. Source.

54%

of community colleges currently offer online plagiarism evaluations for distance education classes. Source.

90%

of community colleges offer a dedicated website for their distance education program and students. Source.

85%

of community colleges offer online admission. Source.

91%

of community colleges currently offer online registration for their classes. 40% of institutions reported that they charge students an additional per-credit fee to take distance education classes — the minimum collected was $2, the maximum was $80, with a median average of $22. Source.

15%

of community colleges offer blended/hybrid courses. Source.

3%

of community colleges offer interactive video (IAV) courses. Source.

53%

of community colleges continue to increase the number of blended/hybrid courses each term. Source.

6.52%

growth of distance education enrollments from fall 2011 to fall 2012. Source.

40%

of community colleges have deactivated their interactive video (IAV) courses or have never offered IAV courses. Source.

26%

of community colleges are continuing to increase the number of IAV courses each term. Source.

60%

of faculty members at community colleges believe that faculty participation in training programs for distance education is mandatory. Source.

28%

of community colleges limit the number of online class sections a full-time faculty member can teach each term. Source.

52%

of students at community colleges who take online courses are traditional students. Source.

63%

of students at community colleges who take online courses are female and 36% are male. Source.

27%

of distance learners are employed full-time. Source.

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