The National Centre for Distance Education (Centre national d'enseignement à distance or Cned in French) is a French public institution under the oversight of the Department of Education dedicated to providing distance learning material.

The 3000 programs it offers range from kindergarten to university level.

Of these, approximately 245,000 are higher education students ranging from polytechnic through to masters level.

CNED offer the opportunity to study at a high level, while living in any country, or travelling around the globe.

Students can study with books, or online (which is easier to carry when travelling).