2024 Online Learning Statistics – Forbes Advisor – Education – Forbes

The past decade has transformed online learning. In 2012, 75% of college students took all their classes in person, with 13.1% taking some online classes and 12.4% taking all of their classes online.6 Those numbers flipped dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic, with just 26.6% of college students in 2020 reporting that they took no online classes.

What do remote learning statistics look like in the wake of the pandemic shutdowns? Instead of reverting to the pre-pandemic status quo, college students increasingly choose to take classes online. In 2022, more than half of college students enrolled in an online class. That adds up to around 10 million college students taking classes online.

Online learners are a diverse group made up of undergraduate and grad students; men and women; and learners of all races. The best online colleges meet high academic standards and hold institutional accreditation. And learning online can help degree seekers save money. Whether you’re considering an online degree or you’re curious about online higher education, these are the key statistics to understand online learning.

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Online Learning by the Numbers

A growing number of college students take distance education courses. Digging into the data on online learning reveals a changing picture of higher education.

10 million: Approximate Number of College Students Enrolled in Distance Education Courses, Fall 2022¹

More than 10 million college students took at least one distance education class in the fall of 2022. Slightly less than half of those students took all of their courses online. Most of these online learners are undergraduates (8.4 million) attending four-year, public institutions (7.4 million).

75%: Approximate Percentage of College Students Enrolled in Distance Education Courses, Fall 2020²

A significant majority of college students took classes online in fall 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. While only 36.3% of college students took online classes in the fall of 2019, that percentage more than doubled the following year.

54%: Approximate Share of College Students Taking Distance Education Courses, Fall 2022¹

While the percentage of students taking online courses dropped between fall 2020 and fall 2022, substantially more students chose online courses in 2022 compared to 2019. The shifts in distance learning enrollment indicate that while many students initially enrolled in online courses because of the pandemic, distance learning numbers remained high long after lockdowns ended.

26%: Approximate Percentage of College Students Enrolled Exclusively in Distance Education Courses, Fall 2022¹

More than 1 in 4 college students chose a fully online format for their courses in Fall 2022. Around 63% of those fully online learners attended in-state colleges, while 33% attended schools located in other states. In-state college students at public universities often benefit from subsidized tuition rates.

54.4% vs. 53.5%: Respective Shares of Undergraduate vs. Graduate Students Taking Distance Education Courses, Fall 2022¹

Undergraduate and graduate students enroll in online courses at similar rates––54.4% and 53.5%, respectively.

Undergrads are more likely to choose a hybrid option, however. While 23.9% take exclusively online courses, 30.5% take both online and on-campus courses. At the graduate level, 38.7% enroll fully online, while 14.8% take classes in a hybrid format.

For-Profit Private Schools More Likely To Enroll Exclusively Online Than Nonprofit Private Schools, Fall 2022¹

• Private, for-profit colleges: 64.8% of all students enrolled exclusively online
• Private, nonprofit colleges: 26.5% of all students enrolled exclusively online
• Public colleges: 23.6% of all students enrolled exclusively online

Students at private, for-profit colleges are much more likely to take their classes in a fully online format than students attending private, nonprofit colleges and public colleges. While public colleges enroll the largest share of online learners, with 3.1 million of the 4.9 million fully online students, they enroll the smallest percentage of exclusively online students.

States With Highest Online College Enrollment Rates: New Hampshire, Arizona, West Virginia, Utah, Alaska⁶

Some surprising states top the list of the states with the highest online college enrollment rates. States such as Alaska and West Virginia likely appear because of the challenges of accessing higher education in more remote areas. Alaska, for example, is home to only eight degree-granting postsecondary institutions.⁷

The appearance of Utah, New Hampshire and Arizona point to another factor: The three largest online colleges by enrollment are located in those states, and most students at these colleges are enrolled exclusively online.⁸

• Western Governors University in Utah enrolls more than 150,000 students, all of whom are distance learners.
• Southern New Hampshire University enrolls around 145,500 learners, of whom 138,700 take exclusively distance courses.
• Arizona’s Grand Canyon University educates approximately 103,100 students, and 79,900 are distance learners.

Online Schools vs. Traditional College

Only a small fraction of colleges primarily enroll distance learners. Part-time students are more likely than their full-time peers to choose primarily online colleges.

3.7%: Share of Higher Education Institutions Considered Primarily Online Colleges, Fall 2022³

Very few colleges meet the definition of a “primarily online college,” according to the NCES. The term only applies to colleges where 90% or more of students enroll online. Instead, many traditional colleges offer both online and on-campus courses.

6%: Approximate Percentage of College Students Attending Primarily Online Schools, Fall 2022³

While more than half of college students now take online classes, only a small fraction attend primarily online colleges. As of Fall 2022, just 6% of all students attended one of these schools.

1.1 Million: Approximate Number of Students Enrolled at Primarily Online Colleges, Fall 2022³

Over 1 million students attend primarily online colleges. Part-time students are more likely to enroll at one of these institutions than full-time students.

At the undergraduate level, 7% of part-time students attend primarily online schools, compared with 4.4% of full-time students. Similarly, 10.7% of part-time graduate students attend primarily online colleges, compared with 8.1% of full-time graduate students.

8.5 Million: Approximate Number of Students Not Enrolled in Any Distance Education Courses, Fall 2022¹

While more than 10 million students take at least some distance education courses, 8.5 million do not take any online courses.

Online learning data indicates that private, nonprofit institutions enroll the highest percentage of fully in-person students, with 56.2% of learners not taking any online courses. By contrast, 45% of public school students and 33.3% of private, for-profit learners do not participate in online learning.⁶

Online Learning Through the Years

While the Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on remote learning, the last decade has brought many other significant changes as well.

In 2012, 74.5% of college students took no online courses. That number declined to 63.7% in 2019. At the same time, the percentage of students exclusively enrolled in online courses grew. In 2012, 12.4% of college students enrolled fully online, while 13.1% took at least one online class. By 2019, the share of fully and partially online learners grew to 17.2% and 19.1%, respectively.

The pandemic upended remote learning, with the share of students not taking online classes plummeting to 26.6%. While that number rebounded in the following years, reaching 41.4% in 2021 and 46.7% in 2022, most college students are still not enrolled exclusively online.

46.7%: Share of College Students Enrolled Exclusively in Online Courses, Fall 2020²

As the Covid-19 pandemic closed schools, many switched to a remote learning model. From 2019 to 2022, the share of fully online learners more than doubled.

28%: Share of College Students Enrolled in Some, But Not All, Online Courses in Fall 2020²

Nearly three in 10 college students enrolled in a hybrid format in fall 2020. Combined, distance learners made up around 75% of all college students at that time, with only 25% taking exclusively in-person classes.

21.3%: Decline in Distance Learning Enrollment Between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021^2,1

The percent of students taking online classes dropped significantly between fall 2020 and fall 2021 as many campuses reopened following the early pandemic lockdowns. During the same period, total college enrollment declined 2%, with public colleges losing more students than private colleges.

9.9%: Decline in Distance Learning Enrollment Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022¹

After the sharp decline from 2020 to 2021, distance learning enrollment dipped by nearly 10% from 2021 to 2022. During that period, total college enrollment dropped by around 0.5%.

20.5%: Projected Annual Growth of e-Learning Market From 2022–30⁵

Overall, the e-learning market brought in an estimated $214.26 billion in 2021. By 2030, the e-learning industry will top $1 trillion in revenue. Still, higher education makes up only part of the total e-learning market.

Online Degrees

Online degrees make up a significant share of all degrees, with nearly 280,000 graduates earning their degrees at primarily online colleges in 2022.³ These figures undercount the total number of online degrees, however, because they do not account for online degrees awarded by colleges that also offer in-person degrees.

279,162: Number of Degrees Conferred by Primarily Online Colleges in the 2021–22 School Year³

• 46,753 associate degrees
• 132,274 bachelor’s degrees
• 94,159 master’s degrees
• 5,976 doctoral degrees

A bachelor’s degree is the most common degree to earn online, representing 47.4% of all online degrees awarded by primarily online colleges in 2021–22. More than 94,000 graduate students also earned master’s degrees online, making up 33.7% of all online degrees conferred. Associate and doctoral degrees make up smaller fractions of online degrees.

6.8%: Percentage of All Degrees Conferred by Primarily Online Colleges, 2021–22³

• 4.6% of all associate degrees
• 6.6% of all bachelor’s degrees
• 10.7% of all master’s degrees
• 2.9% of all doctoral degrees

Primarily online colleges awarded less than 7% of all degrees awarded in 2022; they confer master’s degrees at a comparatively higher rate. However, many traditional colleges also award online degrees, indicating that online degrees make up a larger share of total degrees than the 6.8% awarded by primarily online colleges.

66%: Percentage of Degrees Conferred From Primarily Online Colleges to Female-Identifying Students, 2021–22³

Women make up the majority of all college students and an even larger share of graduates from primarily online colleges. At the bachelor’s level, women made up 58.5% of the class of 2022 and 63.6% of primarily online bachelor’s graduates that year.

20.9%: Graduation Rate Within Six Years Among Full-Time, Bachelor’s-Seeking Students at Primarily Online Colleges, 2021–22³

At the bachelor’s level, primarily online colleges report relatively low graduation rates compared to other types of colleges. While just over 20% of undergraduate students enrolled at primarily online colleges earn their bachelor’s degrees within six years, the graduation rate for similar students at other institutions was 64.6%.

However, online students at two-year schools graduate at higher rates. Primarily online, two-year institutions saw a 45.6% graduation rate as of 2019, compared to 34.1% at all two-year institutions.

Online Learning by Race³

Overall, around 6% of college students attend primarily online colleges. However, Pacific Islander, Black and Native American students enroll in these institutions at higher rates.

14% of All Pacific Islander College Students Attend Primarily Online Colleges

A relatively large fraction of Pacific Islanders enrolls at primarily online schools. As for students from other racial and ethnic groups:

• 11.3% of Black college students attend online colleges
• 8.8% of American Indian/Alaska Native college students attend online colleges
• 6.4% of white college students attend online colleges
• 5.8% of college students who identify as two or more races attend online colleges
• 4.3% of Hispanic college students attend online colleges
• 3.1% of Asian college students attend online colleges

College Enrollment by Race: Online Colleges vs. Traditional Colleges³

While white students attend online and traditional colleges at approximately the same rate, Black students make up a larger share of online students. In contrast, Hispanic and Asian learners make up more of the traditional college student body.

Online Learning Costs, 2022–23⁴

Tuition rates differ between online and in-person colleges. In addition, the institution type and residency status also play a major role in the cost of college. While online learning can cost less than in-person learning, that is not always the case. The following tuition rates compare fully online colleges against the median for all colleges.

$8,254 vs. $5,941: Median In-State Tuition and Fees at Public Online Colleges vs. All Public Colleges

Public online colleges charge a higher median tuition rate for in-state learners than all public colleges. That means degree seekers may save money by choosing an in-state, public college over a fully online school. Keep in mind that many public colleges offer both in-person and online learning.

$8,400 vs. $10,760: Median Out-of-State Tuition and Fees at Public Online Colleges vs. All Public Colleges

Out-of-state students attending public colleges pay significantly higher tuition rates than their in-state counterparts. However, choosing an online learning format can save out-of-state learners money. Overall, out-of-state learners pay lower tuition rates at online public colleges compared to the median out-of-state tuition cost at all public colleges.

$10,002 vs. $27,730: Median Tuition and Fees at Private, Nonprofit Online Colleges vs. All Private, Nonprofit Colleges

Online learners save the most when choosing a private, nonprofit college. While the median cost of tuition and fees at primarily online colleges in this category is around $10,000, the overall cost of tuition and fees reaches nearly $28,000, indicating that degree seekers interested in private, nonprofit institutions can cut costs with an online format.

Sources

1. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 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 2021 and fall 2022
2. NCES, 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 2020 and fall 2021
3. NCES, Selected statistics for degree-granting postsecondary institutions that primarily offer online programs, by control of institution and selected characteristics: Fall 2022 and academic year 2021–22
4. Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS), Statistical Tables
5. Polaris Market Research
6. NCES Trend Generator, Percent of students enrolled in distance education courses by distance education status of student
7. NCES, Degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control and classification of institution and state or jurisdiction: Academic year 2022-23
8. NCES, Total enrollment and enrollment in exclusively distance education courses of the 120 largest degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by selected characteristics and institution: Fall 2021

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Online Learning

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