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3,604 U.S. Colleges Offer Online Programs (Distance Learning)

How Many Colleges Offer Online Programs (Distance Learning)?

In United States, 3,604 schools offer Online Programs (Distance Learning). By school type, 1,614 public and 1,990 private schools offer Online Programs (Distance Learning).
By school level, 2,354 four-years colleges and 1,097 community colleges offer Online Programs (Distance Learning).
The following table summarizes the number of schools offering Online Programs (Distance Learning) in United States.
Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning)
TotalPublicPrivate (not-for-profit)Private (for-profit)
Total3,6041,6141,358632
4 Years Colleges2,3548061,291257
Community Colleges1,09779457246
Trade Schools1531410129

What is Distance education?

Education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously.

Technologies used for instruction may include the following: Internet; one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcasts, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communication devices; audio conferencing; and video cassette, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, if the cassette, DVDs, and CD-ROMs are used in a course in conjunction with the technologies listed above.

Academic & Tuition Statistics for Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning)

The average acceptance rate of the Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning) is 74.10% and the admission yield is 30%. The average SAT score is 1,170 and the average ACT score is 25.
A total of 19,729,918 students are attending one of the schools. With 1,374,980 faculty, the average students to faculty ratio is 16 to 1.
The 2025 average tuition & fees at Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning) is $15,306 for state residents and $21,708 for out-of-state students for undergraduate programs. The average graduate program tuition & fees is $15,805 for state residents and $20,368 for out-of-state students.
68.79% of undergraduate students received grants and/or scholarships and the average aid amount is $10,628 at Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning).
The following table summarizes the number of Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning) by state and school type. You can sort the table by a column by touching/clicking the column name.
Colleges Offering Online Programs (Distance Learning) by State
StateTotalPublicPrivateFour-years CollegesCommunity CollegesTrade Schools
Alabama593722 332533
Alaska844 717
Arizona692544 372737
Arkansas493415 252425
California395154241 222155222
Colorado573027 371437
Connecticut331122 27327
Delaware734 606
District of Columbia16115 14114
Florida15752105 11438114
Georgia1045054 673767
Hawaii16106 979
Idaho1587 11411
Illinois1415784 825082
Indiana721656 59759
Iowa531934 351835
Kansas613427 332533
Kentucky622438 342234
Louisiana543024 312231
Maine251411 17717
Maryland472918 291729
Massachusetts983068 761776
Michigan1034657 562856
Minnesota754035 462846
Mississippi342311 181618
Missouri882761 711571
Montana21165 13813
Nebraska321616 221022
Nevada19712 14514
New Hampshire21138 14714
New Jersey683236 382538
New Mexico33276 132013
New York20380123 14746147
North Carolina1337558 696369
North Dakota20146 15515
Ohio1636499 11730117
Oklahoma533320 302030
Oregon452619 281628
Pennsylvania17756121 13241132
Rhode Island14311 13113
South Carolina633330 382538
South Dakota21138 17417
Tennessee752748 472347
Texas233102131 13981139
Utah261016 20220
Vermont13310 12112
Virginia923953 613061
Washington674225 58958
West Virginia412120 261226
Wisconsin633231 471647
Wyoming880 535
American Samoa000000
Federated States of Micronesia110 101
Guam321 303
Marshall Islands110 101
Northern Marianas110 101
Palau110 010
Puerto Rico791465 63563
Virgin Islands110 101