Credit for Online College Classes Becoming More Common

That's how you make higher education more accessible

In a case of state and federal policy catching up with higher education technology, it may be getting easier for college students to get credit for coursework taken online.

• California's Senate is debating a proposal that would allow students at public universities to receive college credit for taking faculty-approved courses online when classrooms fill up, even if the classes are being offered by private vendors.

• State higher education officers across the nation are developing reciprocity agreements that would cut through red tape that discourages colleges from offering online courses across state lines.

• And the Education Department this month gave its blessing to online programs that award college credit based not on how much time they spend in the classroom, but on what they know and can do.