Aprendiendo a Distancia

In 2012, most students preferred to do their online study at an institution in their home state. Undergraduate students at historically black colleges and universities were more likely to complete part of their education online than were students in general. West Virginia was the only state where students taking face-to-face courses didn’t make up at least half of the total student body.

These and other data points are now available for analysis from the National Center for Education Statistics, which on Monday released the clearest breakdown of students enrolled in distance education courses in the United States to date.

The statistics themselves are not new, but the findings according to region, sector and state are. The NCES, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, maintains the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which collects data from the institutions eligible for Title IV financial aid. In 2012, the system for the first time asked colleges and universities about online enrollment, and earlier this year, the center began to tease preliminary data.