Nov. 03, 2011
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Two new publications from the National Center for Education Statistics related to undergraduate education have been added to ERIC. Stats in Brief publications are designed to provide useful data about topical issues to a broad audience, including the general public.
Learning at a Distance: Undergraduate Enrollment in Distance Education Courses and Degree Programs investigates participation in distance education using the most current nationally representative student-reported data. Among the findings:
- The percentage of undergraduates enrolled in at least one distance education class rose from 8 percent to 20 percent between 2000 and 2008.
- Students reporting more frequent use included those studying computer science and business; those in public 2-year colleges and for-profit institutions; older undergraduates; those with a dependent, spouse, and/or full-time job; and those with mobility disabilities.
Borrowing at the Maximum: Undergraduate Stafford Loan Borrowers in 2007-08 examines the extent to which undergraduate students borrow the maximum possible in Stafford loans, based on nationally representative data collected through 6 years of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies. Among the findings:
- In 2007-08, 59 percent of those who took out any Stafford loans (subsidized and unsubsidized combined) borrowed the most they could.
- About 30 percent of those who took out a Stafford loan also took out a private loan, compared with 6 percent of those who did not take out any Stafford loans.
- The percentage of students who worked full time while enrolled was lowest among Stafford loan borrowers who took out the maximum amount (26 percent), compared with those who took out less than the maximum (33 percent), and those who did not borrow (37 percent).
Individuals interested in more in-depth analysis of these and other issues may wish to explore other NCES resources, including publications found on the NCES website and in ERIC as well as online data tools and public- and restricted-use datasets available from www.nces.ed.gov.
