The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) recently released their 2019 data report. The annual report collects fall institutional distance education enrollment for both in- and out-of-state students and out-of-state learning placements for 1,960 institutions. For the 2019 report, all U.S. states, including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, with the exception of California, were NC-SARA members.
Among the findings:
- In 2019, 2,806,382 students were enrolled in distance education, 54% of whom were enrolled in their home state.
- 1,517,530 students were enrolled in distance education within their home state.
- 1,288,852 students were enrolled in distance education outside of their home state, up 5.2% from 2018.
- Enrollment in distance education varied across sector.
- Public institutions, comprising 51.5% of all institutions, enrolled 53% of all students enrolled in distance education. This accounts for 1.5 million students.
- Private, non-profit institutions, comprising 42.7% of all institutions, enrolled 29.8% of all students enrolled in distance education. This accounts for 836,000 students.
- Private, for-profit institutions, comprising 5.7% of all institutions, enrolled 16.9% of all students enrolled in distance education. This accounts for 475,000 students.
- Enrollment patterns varied for in-state vs. out-of-state students.
- Of students enrolled in distance education within their home state: 79.8% were enrolled in a public institution; 17.6% in a private, non-profit institution; and 2.5% in a private, for-profit institution.
- Of students enrolled in distance education outside of their home state: 44.2% were enrolled in a private, non-profit institution; 33.9% in a private, for-profit institution; and 21.9% in a public institution.
- 239,955 students had an out-of-state learning placement in 2019.
- Out-of-state learning placements are educational experiences, such as internships, student teaching, and medical rotations, for students that occur in a state other than their home institution’s state.
- 60% of out-of-state placements were in the health field.
- Of the 1,960 institutions included in the report, 96 institutions reported no online enrollment.
