Institutions in S&E Higher Education

A variety of institutions provide the education necessary to maintain and enhance the U.S. S&E enterprise. Different types of institutions offer access to S&E education for students with varying resources and needs. Open access institutions that offer certificates and degrees below the bachelor’s degree are more available to students with limited financial resources or limited geographic mobility due to family obligations, for example. Four-year institutions include small, liberal arts colleges, which are largely private, nonprofit institutions; broad access public and for-profit universities focused largely on teaching; and selective public and private nonprofit universities that have significant research activity as well as teaching. Moreover, these institutions are interdependent: community colleges train the skilled technical workforce (STW)—people who work in occupations that require specific STEM knowledge and skills but do not require a bachelor’s degree—and research careers begin in these institutions as well. Research universities train community college faculty as well as the scientists and engineers who develop technologies used by skilled technical workers.

In academic year 2021–22, about 6,000 U.S. institutions conferred postsecondary education awards, including certificates and associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees (Table HED-1). In addition to the level of awards they confer, institutions vary by control (e.g., whether they are public or private entities and, among private institutions, whether they are for-profit or nonprofit). About a third of all institutions offered awards that required less than 2 years to complete but were not degrees, and most of these (1,600 out of 2,000) were for-profit institutions. In contrast, 60% of doctoral institutions were private nonprofit.

Institutions, by control and highest award conferred: 2021–22

(Number)
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Certificates include only awards of less than 2 academic years below the associate's degree level. Control refers to whether an institution is operated by publicly elected or appointed officials (public control) or by privately elected or appointed officials and derives its major source of funds from private sources (private control).

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Institutional Characteristics Survey.

Science and Engineering Indicators

Institutions’ contributions to S&E and S&E-related knowledge and skill development vary by level and control. Training that leads to employment in the STW, which includes education in both S&E and S&E-related fields, is usually available at certificate- and associate’s-level institutions. Doctoral-level institutions train scientists and college and university faculty to lead S&E and S&E-related research and to teach undergraduates and graduate students. These institutions also provide infrastructure for research and development (R&D) by faculty and students. Associate’s-, bachelor’s-, and master’s-level institutions train students for specific occupations, educate them in the S&E disciplines and research methods necessary for careers in S&E research and teaching at the elementary and secondary levels, and also conduct and support original R&D. S&E degree holders find employment across all sectors of the economy, with most individuals with an S&E bachelor’s degree or higher working at for-profit businesses (see forthcoming Indicators 2024 report “The STEM Labor Force: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers”).

Minority-Serving Institutions

Relative to all postsecondary institutions, MSIs serve larger proportions of students from specific racial and ethnic groups. The 35 American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs) and 100 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) extant in 2021 were defined as such by the Higher Education Act based on the populations of students they have served since their founding (Table SHED-1). Other types of MSIs—including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian–serving institutions (ANNHSIs, 16 institutions), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institutions (AANAPISIs, 191 institutions), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs, 516 institutions), Native American–serving nontribal institutions (NASNTIs, 30 institutions), and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs, 64 institutions)—are defined by the racial and ethnic distribution of their students; designation as one of these institutions can vary from year to year, depending on enrollment. In 2021, there were 811 MSI institutions in the United States, 139 of which had more than one MSI designation. All ANNHSIs, for example, have at least one other MSI designation as well.

In 2021, half of HBCUs were public institutions, and at least two-thirds of the institutions in each of the other MSI categories were also public; the remainder were private nonprofit. None of the MSIs in these categories grant only certificates, but all MSI categories had institutions at the associate’s level or above, with the exception of TCCUs, which had no doctoral institution.

Reflecting the geographic distribution of the racial and ethnic groups they serve, different categories of MSIs cluster in different areas of the country (Figure HED-1). HBCUs and PBIs, for example, cluster in Southeastern states; NASNTIs tend to be in Oklahoma and the Southwest; and TCCUs are found largely in the upper Midwest and northern Plains states.

Minority-serving institutions, by location and type: 2021

(Location and type)

AANAPISI = Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institution, ANNHSI = Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian–serving institution, HBCU = historically Black college or university, HSI = Hispanic-serving institution, MSI = minority-serving institution, NASNTI = Native American–serving nontribal institution, PBI = predominantly Black institution, TCCU = tribally controlled college or university.

Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The detailed data of MSIs by location and type are available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb202332/assets/institutions-in-s-e-higher-education/figures/nsb202332-fighed-001.xlsx.

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Institutional Characteristics component, and FY 2022 Title III and Title V institutions designated eligible for the waiver of the nonfederal share matching requirements. Available at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html#el-inst. Accessed 5 December 2022.

Science and Engineering Indicators

In academic year 2015–16, about 5,400,000 undergraduates, 30% of all undergraduates, were enrolled at MSIs (Figure HED-2; Table SHED-2). At the graduate level, about 550,000 students were enrolled at MSIs, accounting for 19% of all graduate students. Among MSIs, HSIs enrolled the most students, 16% of all undergraduates and 10% of graduate students. Institutions serving indigenous students—ANNHSIs, NASNTIs, and TCCUs—served the fewest. The percentage of students enrolled at MSIs differed by award level. About 21% of students in certificate programs were enrolled at an MSI, as were 43% of associate’s degree seekers, 21% of students in a bachelor’s degree program, 20% of master’s degree students, and 14% of doctoral degree students (Table SHED-2).

Minority-serving institutions' enrollment, by type and level: 2015–16
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Minority-serving institutions' enrollment, by type and level: 2015–16

(Percent)
Level AANAPISI HSI HBCU and PBI ANNHSI, NASNTI, TCCU Multiple MSI Non-MSI
Undergraduate 2.6 16.2 2.5 0.4 8.6 69.8
Graduate 2.7 9.9 1.3 0.1 5.5 80.6

AANAPISI = Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institution, ANNHSI = Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian–serving institution, HBCU = historically Black college or university, HSI = Hispanic-serving institution, MSI = minority-serving institution, NASNTI = Native American–serving nontribal institution, PBI = predominantly Black institution, TCCU = tribally controlled college or university.

Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs.

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16).

Science and Engineering Indicators

Among undergraduates who were enrolled in degree programs, 43% of students in all institutions and 40% of those in an MSI were majoring in S&E and S&E-related fields. The percentage of MSI undergraduates who majored in S&E and S&E-related fields ranged from 37% at HSIs to 47% of students enrolled in AANAPISIs. At the graduate level, 43% of both MSI and all students were enrolled in S&E or S&E-related fields. Among types of MSIs, the percentage of graduate students enrolled in S&E or S&E-related fields ranged from 13% at institutions serving indigenous students to 45% at AANAPISIs.

The percentage of students who were pursuing a degree in S&E or S&E-related fields differed by award level and MSI type. For example, 61% of bachelor’s degree students at AANAPISIs majored in S&E or S&E-related fields, compared with 51% or less among bachelor’s degree students in other MSI types (Figure HED-3). Among doctoral students, 30% of those at HBCUs and PBIs were enrolled in S&E or S&E-related fields, compared with 55% of students at AANAPISIs and 69% of those at HSIs.

S&E and S&E-related program enrollment, by award level and type of MSI: 2015–16
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S&E and S&E-related program enrollment, by award level and type of MSI: 2015–16

(Percent)
Award level AANAPISI HSI HBCU and PBI ANNHSI, NASNTI, and TCCU Multiple MSI Non-MSI
All award levels 47.5 37.4 39.8 42.1 43.9 43.5
Certificate 38.9 28.4 36.6 48.5 30.7 42.9
Associate's degree 40.0 34.2 36.4 47.9 39.7 39.4
Bachelor's degree 61.1 46.1 46.0 39.1 51.4 46.1
(Percent)
Award level AANAPISI HSI HBCU and PBI ANNHSI, NASNTI, and TCCU Multiple MSI Non-MSI
All award levels 44.7 38.8 37.1 13.3 52.6 42.6
Master's degree 43.2 35.9 38.1 13.3 51.6 40.3
Doctoral degree 54.8 69.0 29.8 s 61.5 56.7

AANAPISI = Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institution; ANNHSI = Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian–serving institution; HBCU = historically Black college or university; HSI = Hispanic-serving institution; MSI = minority-serving institution; NASNTI = Native American–serving nontribal institution; PBI = predominantly Black institution; TCCU = tribally controlled college or university.

Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Data for ANNHSI, NASNTI, and TCCU at the doctoral level are suppressed for reasons of confidentiality and/or reliability.

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16).

Science and Engineering Indicators

Community Colleges

Community colleges are public colleges that offer certificate and associate’s degree programs that require 2 years or less to complete. They specialize in providing relatively affordable programs of study, including those in S&E and S&E-related fields. Certificates and associate’s degrees are common forms of preparation for S&E-related occupations in the STEM workforce (see Indicators 2022 report “The STEM Labor Force of Today: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers” section “Education and Training of Workers in STEM”). Community colleges awarded 50% of the S&E certificates and 76% of the S&E associate’s degrees conferred in 2021 (Figure HED-4). Community colleges also awarded 48% of S&E-related certificates and 55% of S&E-related associate’s degrees. From 2012 to 2021, the number of certificates and associate’s degrees awarded by community colleges increased in S&E fields but decreased in S&E-related fields.

S&E and S&E-related certificates and associate's degrees awarded, by institution type: 2012–21
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S&E and S&E-related certificates and associate's degrees awarded, by institution type: 2012–21

(Number)
Year Certificates: All institutions Certificates: Community colleges Associate's degrees: All institutions Associate's degrees: Community colleges
2012 39,476 25,376 118,662 74,951
2013 43,014 27,597 120,346 81,745
2014 50,188 32,942 124,916 87,768
2015 51,781 34,288 129,468 95,015
2016 55,929 34,493 128,526 97,155
2017 58,569 36,146 132,433 100,876
2018 64,991 39,555 137,984 106,582
2019 70,959 40,232 145,685 112,618
2020 72,881 39,162 148,449 113,823
2021 78,775 39,459 155,029 118,150
(Number)
Year Certificates: All institutions Certificates: Community colleges Associate's degrees: All institutions Associate's degrees: Community colleges
2012 611,229 259,846 296,419 152,961
2013 574,920 262,326 288,495 152,063
2014 568,463 272,400 281,774 150,750
2015 550,479 275,872 273,943 149,926
2016 529,454 268,405 261,833 145,619
2017 517,563 266,048 258,048 145,242
2018 505,163 269,281 253,585 143,204
2019 507,686 266,660 255,426 143,261
2020 468,186 239,266 245,644 135,593
2021 474,734 229,669 253,005 138,088
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Certificates include only awards of less than 2 academic years below the associate's degree level.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations (2022) of the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey, provisional release data.

Science and Engineering Indicators

The most popular broad S&E or S&E-related field of study for both certificates and associate’s degrees awarded by community colleges was health professions and related programs, an S&E-related field (Figure HED-5). Among S&E fields, community colleges awarded the largest number of certificates in computer and information sciences and the largest number of associate’s degrees in social sciences.

Broad field for S&E certificates and associate's degrees awarded by community colleges: 2021
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Broad field for S&E certificates and associate's degrees awarded by community colleges: 2021

(Number)
Field Certificates Associate's degrees
Agricultural sciences and natural resources 4,775 6,669
Biological and biomedical sciences 1,301 6,979
Computer and information sciences 25,483 21,667
Engineering 418 5,123
Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 5 142
Mathematics and statistics 46 4,019
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 1,115 23,277
Physical sciences 97 4,606
Psychology 1,708 16,028
Social sciences 4,511 29,640
(Number)
Field Certificates Associate's degrees
Health professions and related programs 111,462 98,728
Homeland security and fire protection 5,227 2,814
Science and mathematics teacher education 0 42
Technology and technical fields 21,818 15,609
Other S&E-related fields 91,162 20,895
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Certificates include only awards of less than 2 academic years below the associate's degree level.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations (2022) of the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey, provisional release data.

Science and Engineering Indicators

In addition to offering certificates and associate’s degrees, community colleges can be the first stop on the road to a bachelor’s or higher degree (Foley, Milan, and Hamrick 2020). Among students who began postsecondary education in science, engineering, and mathematics fields at a community college in academic year 2011–12, 12% had earned a bachelor’s degree within 6 years (i.e., by 2017) (Figure HED-6). In addition, 19% of community college students who had declared majors in psychology and other social sciences earned a bachelor’s degree within 6 years. Among 2015–16 bachelor’s degree recipients in S&E fields, about a quarter had begun postsecondary education at a community college, as had about a third of degree recipients in health and medicine (Table SHED-5).

Awards earned by 2011–12 first-time postsecondary students who began postsecondary education in community colleges, by award level and 2011–12 field of study: 2017
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Awards earned by 2011–12 first-time postsecondary students who began postsecondary education in community colleges, by award level and 2011–12 field of study: 2017

(Percent)
Field (2011–12) Certificate Associate's degree Bachelor's degree
All fields 8.9 18.4 12.3
Science, engineering, and mathematics 7.1 20.3 12.3
Psychology and other social sciences 5.4 13.8 19.0
Health and medicine 18.6 22.2 5.1
Other fields 8.1 17.7 13.1
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Field is the major field of study that students declared in academic year 2011–12, their first year of postsecondary education. Attainment categories are mutually exclusive and represent the highest credential earned as of 2017.

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/17).

Science and Engineering Indicators

Education at the associate’s degree level, predominantly offered by community colleges, also plays a role in the preparation of S&E doctorate recipients. Among individuals who earned doctorates in S&E fields between 2017 and 2021, 6% had previously earned associate’s degrees, including 12% of doctorate recipients in health sciences (Table SHED-6). Within some racial and ethnic groups, obtaining an associate’s degree was more common: 17% of American Indian or Alaska Native doctorate recipients, 10% of Black or African American doctorate recipients, and 10% of Hispanic doctorate recipients had previously earned an associate’s degree.

For-Profit Institutions

Since the advent of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill), enrollment in for-profit institutions has fluctuated considerably both in the number of students and as a percentage of all postsecondary enrollment, largely due to changes in federal financial aid regulations (Whitman 2018). Most recently, enrollment in for-profit institutions grew between 2000 and 2010 and then declined through 2018 (Table HED-2). In the early 2000s, regulations permitted for-profit institutions to realize more revenue from federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and federal student loans. The number of for-profit institutions increased, rising from 2,463 in 2002–03 to 3,533 in 2012–13 (Figure HED-7), and more financially needy students enrolled in these institutions (Deming, Goldin and Katz 2013; Fry and Cilluffo 2019). Between 2009 and 2015, the U.S. Department of Education proposed and implemented regulations that prevented institutions from participating in federal financial aid programs if too few of their graduates earned incomes sufficient to repay their loans (TICAS 2019). At least in part due to such regulations, the number of for-profit postsecondary institutions declined to 2,279 in 2021–22, and enrollment in for-profit institutions declined from 2.4 million to 1.3 million students between 2010 and 2021 (Table HED-2). At the certificate level, for-profit institutions made up 79% of U.S. institutions in 2021–22 (Table HED-1).

Total fall enrollment in postsecondary institutions, by institutional control: Selected years, 2000–21

(Number and percent change)
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Control refers to whether an institution is operated by publicly elected or appointed officials (public control) or by privately elected or appointed officials and derives its major source of funds from private sources (private control).

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Spring 2001–Spring 2021, Fall Enrollment Survey.

Science and Engineering Indicators

Postsecondary institutions, by institutional control: 2000–22
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Postsecondary institutions, by institutional control: 2000–22

(Number)
Academic year Public Private nonprofit Private for profit
2000–01 2,245 2,003 2,528
2001–02 2,216 1,999 2,500
2002–03 2,205 1,978 2,463
2003–04 2,187 1,970 2,535
2004–05 2,159 1,934 2,572
2005–06 2,173 1,925 2,674
2006–07 2,170 1,910 2,772
2007–08 2,161 1,878 2,815
2008–09 2,134 1,872 2,907
2009–10 2,127 1,873 3,023
2010–11 2,113 1,874 3,272
2011–12 2,109 1,895 3,475
2012–13 2,078 1,885 3,533
2013–14 2,077 1,897 3,503
2014–15 2,060 1,887 3,442
2015–16 2,057 1,917 3,278
2016–17 2,050 1,880 2,904
2017–18 2,038 1,882 2,795
2018–19 2,044 1,833 2,476
2019–20 2,024 1,829 2,363
2020–21 1,982 1,809 2,342
2021–22 1,974 1,792 2,279
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Institutional control refers to whether an institution is operated by publicly elected or appointed officials (public control) or by privately elected or appointed officials and derives its major source of funds from private sources (private control).

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Institutional Characteristics Survey.

Science and Engineering Indicators

With the exception of certificates in S&E fields, the number of postsecondary awards conferred by for-profit institutions in S&E and S&E-related fields rose dramatically from 2000 through 2012 (Table HED-3). From 2012 through 2021, however, total awards conferred by for-profit institutions dropped precipitously, including a 48% decrease in S&E awards and a 36% decrease in S&E-related awards. Trends during this period differed between award levels and between S&E and S&E-related fields. In S&E fields, certificate and doctoral degree awards by for-profit institutions increased. In contrast, they declined in associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree awards during this time. In S&E-related fields, certificate and associate’s degree awards decreased, while degree awards at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels increased. For-profit institutions awarded no doctoral degrees in S&E-related fields through 2012 and awarded 24 doctoral degrees in 2021; however, doctoral degrees in S&E-related fields are relatively uncommon, making up about 1% of all doctoral degrees in each year from 2012 through 2021 (Table SHED-14).

Trends in for-profit institution awards, by degree level and field: 2000–21

(Number and percent)

NA = not available.

Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Certificates include only awards of less than 2 academic years below the associate's degree level. Doctoral degree programs include research doctoral degree programs only and do not include professional doctoral programs (e.g., Doctor of Medicine).

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations (2022) of the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey, provisional release data.

Science and Engineering Indicators

Geographic Differences

Policymakers and others have expressed concern over geographic inequities across the United States in access to high-quality S&E education and careers (NSB 2020; NSF/EHR 2020). Higher education institutions vary in the percentage of degrees they award that are in S&E fields, and this variation is apparent at the state level. States with the greatest share of bachelor’s degrees awarded in S&E fields—for example, Maryland (52%), Vermont (51%), District of Columbia (50%), California (49%), Oregon (49%), Washington (48%), and Massachusetts (46%)—were primarily on the West Coast and in the northeastern United States, with the exception of Wyoming (51%) (Figure HED-8). States with lower shares of bachelor’s degrees awarded in S&E fields were generally located in the middle and southeastern regions of the country, although the western states of Arizona (25%) and Utah (27%) had the lowest shares.

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded in S&E fields, by state: 2021
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Share of bachelor's degrees awarded in S&E fields, by state: 2021

(Percent)
State Percent
Alabama 32.2
Alaska 35.4
Arizona 25.0
Arkansas 30.9
California 49.2
Colorado 44.2
Connecticut 42.0
Delaware 39.4
District of Columbia 50.2
Florida 36.8
Georgia 39.1
Hawaii 37.3
Idaho 32.8
Illinois 34.6
Indiana 34.3
Iowa 36.6
Kansas 32.9
Kentucky 30.3
Louisiana 35.0
Maine 42.5
Maryland 51.7
Massachusetts 46.4
Michigan 39.2
Minnesota 36.2
Mississippi 30.4
Missouri 32.7
Montana 44.4
Nebraska 33.5
Nevada 38.6
New Hampshire 30.1
New Jersey 41.5
New Mexico 39.4
New York 40.7
North Carolina 40.6
North Dakota 35.2
Ohio 34.5
Oklahoma 33.6
Oregon 48.6
Pennsylvania 41.6
Puerto Rico 35.6
Rhode Island 36.8
South Carolina 36.1
South Dakota 37.0
Tennessee 29.9
Texas 37.2
Utah 26.9
Vermont 50.6
Virginia 40.7
Washington 48.0
West Virginia 33.5
Wisconsin 41.2
Wyoming 51.4
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs.

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations (2022) of the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey, provisional release data.

Science and Engineering Indicators

At the doctoral level, several states produced considerably higher concentrations of S&E degrees than were observed at the bachelor’s level. Alaska, which had the highest share of doctoral degrees awarded in S&E fields of any state (93%), awards a much smaller total number of doctoral degrees than most states and awards a comparatively high proportion of degrees in geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences (Figure HED-9). Several other states with high percentages of S&E doctoral degrees are also in the West—Washington (82%), Wyoming (82%), Nevada (81%)—and several northeastern states also awarded high percentages of doctorates in S&E fields: Vermont (82%), Massachusetts (80%), and Rhode Island (77%). In three states, institutions awarded 50% or less of all doctoral degrees in S&E fields: Kentucky (42%), Maine (43%), and Minnesota (50%).

Share of doctoral degrees awarded in S&E fields, by state: 2021
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Share of doctoral degrees awarded in S&E fields, by state: 2021

(Percent)
State Percent
Alabama 59.2
Alaska 93.3
Arizona 61.0
Arkansas 65.1
California 68.1
Colorado 75.8
Connecticut 73.7
Delaware 57.0
District of Columbia 67.0
Florida 60.6
Georgia 70.3
Hawaii 68.1
Idaho 72.0
Illinois 63.6
Indiana 70.2
Iowa 78.8
Kansas 64.3
Kentucky 42.0
Louisiana 64.9
Maine 42.8
Maryland 75.7
Massachusetts 80.5
Michigan 68.8
Minnesota 49.8
Mississippi 57.6
Missouri 59.2
Montana 76.5
Nebraska 51.4
Nevada 81.2
New Hampshire 72.1
New Jersey 73.3
New Mexico 73.3
New York 69.5
North Carolina 69.6
North Dakota 67.5
Ohio 69.9
Oklahoma 65.1
Oregon 68.1
Pennsylvania 62.0
Puerto Rico 63.2
Rhode Island 77.0
South Carolina 66.9
South Dakota 68.9
Tennessee 53.6
Texas 65.5
Utah 73.8
Vermont 82.2
Virginia 52.8
Washington 81.8
West Virginia 78.3
Wisconsin 72.1
Wyoming 81.7
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Doctoral degree programs include research doctoral degree programs only and do not include professional doctoral programs (e.g., Doctor of Medicine).

Source(s):

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, special tabulations (2022) of the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions Survey, provisional release data.

Science and Engineering Indicators

Online Education

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, online coursetaking increased through the early 21st century. For many students—for example, those who commute significant distances to attend classes or who balance postsecondary education with work or family responsibilities—online courses can reduce the cost of commuting in terms of time as well as of financial resources (NCES 2021b; Travers 2020). As Web-based technology advanced the quality of online interaction, broadband Internet access became more available, and the cost of the necessary electronic devices diminished, the percentages of postsecondary students who took at least one online course increased (NCES 2021b).

The percentage of students who enrolled in online education, whether individual courses or programs, differed by award level and field of study. In 2015–16, online classes were generally more popular among master’s degree students than among certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s, or doctoral degree students. Forty-six percent of science, engineering, and mathematics, 55% of psychology and other social sciences, and 60% of health and medicine master’s degree students took an online class (Table SHED-8). Fewer doctoral students took an online course: 13% in science, engineering, and mathematics programs; 31% in psychology and other social sciences programs; and 42% in health and medicine programs. From 2012 to 2016, the share of students who took an online course increased at every level from certificate to doctoral students and in nearly all fields.

Compared with the percentage of students who took at least one online course, fewer students enrolled in postsecondary programs that were entirely online. Online programs were more common among master’s degree students than among students at other degree levels. Thirty-six percent of master’s degree students in psychology and other social sciences, as well as in health and medicine, were enrolled in online programs (Table SHED-9). Among doctoral students, larger percentages of those in psychology and other social sciences (24%) and in health and medicine (27%) were enrolled in online programs than students in science, engineering, and mathematics fields (5%). The percentage of doctoral students in science, engineering, and mathematics fields who were enrolled in online programs increased from 2% in 2012 to 5% in 2016.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures required institutions to limit in-person instruction; as a consequence, participation in online postsecondary education accelerated dramatically between fall 2019 and fall 2020. In 2019, about a third of postsecondary students took at least one distance education course; in 2020, this share increased to about three-fourths (Figure HED-10). The percentage of students who took only distance education courses more than doubled between 2019 and 2020, increasing from 18% to 45%.

The increase in distance education participation between 2019 and 2020 differed by institution control, with greater increases for private nonprofit and public institutions relative to for-profit institutions, though for-profit institutions continued to have a substantially higher percentage of students taking distance education courses. For-profit institutions began offering more online instruction in the late 1990s and continuing through the 2000s and 2010s (Howarth and Stifler 2019; Whitman 2018). Consequently, the percentage of students in for-profit institutions who took only distance education courses increased from 63% in 2019 to 67% in 2020, a difference of 4 percentage points (Figure HED-10). In contrast, the percentage of students in private nonprofit institutions who took only distance education courses increased from 21% to 39%; among students in public institutions, the percentage increased from 13% to 46%.

Students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by distance education participation and institutional control: Fall 2019 and fall 2020
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Students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by distance education participation and institutional control: Fall 2019 and fall 2020

(Percent)
Institutional control and year No distance education courses At least one, but not all, of student's courses Exclusively distance education courses
All institutions: 2019 63.0 19.4 17.5
All institutions: 2020 26.0 28.5 45.5
Public: 2019 64.1 22.5 13.3
Public: 2020 23.7 30.5 45.9
Private nonprofit: 2019 67.9 10.7 21.4
Private nonprofit: 2020 35.0 26.2 38.8
Private for profit: 2019 26.7 10.5 62.8
Private for profit: 2020 21.3 12.2 66.6
Note(s):

Data are based on institutions eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs.

Source(s):

National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall Enrollment Survey.

Science and Engineering Indicators