The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education defines distance learning as any for-credit instruction where delivery of instruction may utilize any or all of the following: print material, e-mail, telephone, audio tape, video tape, television/VCR, satellite, or computer for access to CD ROM, interactive video, Internet, or the Web. The instructor may be physically separated from the student or may meet with students intermittently throughout the term. A distance education course is reported as either on or off campus based on where the majority of the students enrolled in the course are located.  During 2006-07, there were over 11,200 student enrollments through distance education.  The largest growth in recent years has been in online or Web-based courses at EKU accounting for a 25% increase in student enrollments from 2006 to 2007.

Eastern Kentucky University uses a variety of delivery modalities for distance education as follows:

Interactive TV (ITV) Courses – More than 60 courses are offered by ITV during the fall 2007 semester. A statewide network, the Kentucky TeleLinking Network (KTLN), uses compressed video or two-way videoconferencing, to link Kentucky's eight state universities together, as well as community colleges, EKU extended campuses, public schools, and state agencies. This technology may also be used for noncredit courses, other training, meetings, not only for the EKU campus but locally, regionally, statewide, and to the global community for corporations, businesses and organizations throughout the region.

Internet Courses – EKU offers Web-based courses for on-campus and off-campus students having access to the Internet. Some 100-plus courses are offered.

Kentucky Virtual Campus (KYVC) – EKU participates with the KYVC by offering online courses to students who access this portal for post-secondary education programs and courses from institutions in Kentucky. EKU offers both undergraduate and graduate courses through KYVC; the number of courses offered varies each semester. Through KYVC, courses may be offered via any combination of technologies including Web-based courses. Access to a wide variety of resource materials is available through the Kentucky Virtual Library (KVL).

Correspondence – Print-based delivery is the oldest form of distance education. In the past, EKU offered an array of courses from business to computer science to social sciences through Correspondence. However, the Division of Continuing Education and Outreach is exploring other options for delivering print-based courses, reviewing course offerings in the future, and has reduced the number of courses being enrolled. Currently, courses are offered in these areas:  Health Education, Philosophy, and Sociology.  Copies of the Correspondence Course Bulletin with policies and procedures for enrolling in courses can be obtained through Continuing Education and Outreach.

KET Telecourses – EKU is a member of the Kentucky Telecommunications Consortium and in cooperation with Kentucky Education Television Network (KET), offers televised college-level classes. Over the statewide KET network, telecourses are aired weekly. Telecourses are treated the same as on-campus classes for admission, tuition, and financial aid purposes.

Location
Offered programs can be completed entirely online, providing students with access anywhere they can use the Internet.

Admissions
Prospective students must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a 3.0 overall grade point average. They also must have a specified minimum GRE or Miller Analogies Test score.

Financial Aid
The EKU financial aid office has counselors that can help each student maximize their aid sources. Aid programs include loans, grants, and scholarships, including a scholarship specifically offered to students of the College of Justice and Safety.

Career Services
Career services offered to students include EKU's e-Recruiting program, which offers a variety of online job searching tools.