Academic year<\/strong><\/td>

Type of institution<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>

4-year undergraduate<\/strong><\/td>

4-year graduate<\/strong><\/td>

2-year undergraduate<\/strong><\/td>

2-year graduate<\/strong><\/td>

Less-than-2-year undergraduate<\/strong><\/td>

Less than 2-year graduate<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>

2019-20<\/td>

2,716,291<\/td>

1,444,823<\/td>

1,560,391<\/td>

0<\/td>

3,304<\/td>

0<\/td><\/tr>

2020-21<\/td>

5,786,307<\/td>

2,095,928<\/td>

3,481,593<\/td>

0<\/td>

7,723<\/td>

0<\/td><\/tr>

2021-22<\/td>

3,565,940<\/td>

1,747,272<\/td>

2,715,569<\/td>

0<\/td>

4,772<\/td>

0<\/td><\/tr>

2022-23<\/td>

3,482,376<\/td>

1,688,030<\/td>

2,271,558<\/td>

0<\/td>

5,087<\/td>

0<\/td><\/tr>

2023-24<\/td>

3,737,980<\/td>

1,737,891<\/td>

2,145,184<\/td>

0<\/td>

3,963<\/td>

0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data shows that 4-year institutions account for the largest share of exclusively online students within online higher education. While enrollment increased across all institution types in 2020-21, post-peak declines were most pronounced in 2-year undergraduate institutions. Nevertheless, exclusively online participation remains substantially above 2019-20 levels in most categories, indicating that fully remote study continues to play a significant role in overall online college enrollment trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond students enrolled fully online, hybrid participation across different institution types reveals another important layer of online higher education trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in online programs at 4-year and 2-year institutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The chart below presents online students enrolled in at least one, but not all, distance education courses by institution type from 2019-20 through 2023-24. It differentiates between 4-year and 2-year institutions at both undergraduate and graduate levels. These distance learning statistics illustrate how hybrid formats contribute to overall online college enrollment and where students in online learning are most concentrated within the higher education system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Hybrid enrollment at 4-year undergraduate institutions increased from 4,479,390 in 2019-20 to 5,852,244 in 2021-22, before settling at 5,651,536 in 2023-24.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Graduate students in 4-year institutions taking at least one online course rose from 688,968 in 2019-20 to 1,045,136 in 2020-21, then stabilized at 867,484 in 2023-24.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
At 2-year undergraduate institutions, hybrid participation remained relatively stable, moving from 2,314,620 in 2019-20 to 2,145,184 in 2023-24.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Hybrid online enrollment by institution type (2019-2024)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Academic year<\/strong><\/td> Type of institution<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
4-year undergraduate<\/strong><\/td> 4-year graduate<\/strong><\/td> 2-year undergraduate<\/strong><\/td> 2-year graduate<\/strong><\/td> Less-than-2-year undergraduate<\/strong><\/td> Less than 2-year graduate<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
2019-20<\/td> 4,479,390<\/td> 688,968<\/td> 2,314,620<\/td> 0<\/td> 15,757<\/td> 0<\/td><\/tr>
2020-21<\/td> 5,385,659<\/td> 1,045,136<\/td> 2,034,828<\/td> 0<\/td> 30,188<\/td> 0<\/td><\/tr>
2021-22<\/td> 5,852,244<\/td> 954,567<\/td> 2,095,705<\/td> 0<\/td> 27,190<\/td> 0<\/td><\/tr>
2022-23<\/td> 5,473,189<\/td> 871,106<\/td> 2,125,505<\/td> 0<\/td> 26,305<\/td> 0<\/td><\/tr>
2023-24<\/td> 5,651,536<\/td> 867,484<\/td> 2,145,184<\/td> 0<\/td> 26,252<\/td> 0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The data indicate that 4-year undergraduate institutions account for the largest share of students in online learning in hybrid formats. While participation increased in 2020-21, enrollment has remained consistently above pre-pandemic levels, particularly at 4-year institutions. Overall, hybrid models continue to represent a substantial portion of online college enrollment, reinforcing the long-term integration of flexible course delivery formats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After examining national enrollment trends, it is essential to explore how distance learning students are distributed geographically across the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distance learning statistics by state: Fully online enrollment shares<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The chart below presents distance learning statistics by state, showing the percentage of students enrolled exclusively in distance education courses. These online education statistics highlight substantial variation in how online higher education is adopted across different regions. By comparing state-level shares, we can better understand where online students are most concentrated and how fully remote enrollment differs nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n