Dept. of Ed Approves Its First Competency-Based Program for Financial Aid
April 25, 2013
Southern New Hampshire University received approval from the U.S. Education Department to award federal financial aid for students enrolled in a self-paced online program, the first such authorization of its kind, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Last month, the department sent a message to colleges affirming that institutions may apply for aid for degree programs that do not rely on the credit hour to measure student learning. Under that competency-based model, the agency authorized the institution’s College for America program for Title IV eligibility.
Southern New Hampshire bills its College for America program as “the first degree program to completely decouple from the credit hour.” Students have no courses or traditional professors, but advance by completing semester-long, multi-credit courses. These working adult students make progress toward an associate degree by demonstrating mastery of 120 competencies, the Chronicle reported.
U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha J. Kanter issued a statement last week praising College for America as “an example of the kind of innovation we hope to see across the nation.”
Related Links:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Michelle Cormier Mott
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