According to Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001, a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), enrollment in distance education courses has nearly doubled since 1995. In addition, more than half (56%) for U.S. two- and four-year colleges and universities now offer distance education courses.

Other key findings in the report:

• Private colleges and universities were less likely to offer distance education courses than public institutions.
  
  
• Nearly 128,000 different distance education courses were offered by two- and four-year colleges and universities during the 2000-2001 academic year.
  
  
• There were more than 3 million enrollments in all distance education courses offered.
  
  
• The majority of the enrollments were in undergraduate credit-granting distance education courses.
  
  
• Almost 20% of two- and four-year institutions had degree or certificate programs that could be completed totally through distance education courses.
  
  
• Most of the distance education courses were offered over the Internet and nearly all of the institutions that offered distance education courses had used web sites for the courses.
  

For the full text of NCES's report on distance education, click here.

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