An announcement we’re really happy to make!  Not in a mood to read? Basically, this: pass proctored exams for three of our courses, get recommended for college credit…9 credit hours for $75 or  less (subject to your institution playing ball, of course, but more than 1500 have officially signed on to at least consider the idea).  Read on for details and check out the online version of the release here….and share early, share often!


Saylor.org Course Exams Earn College Credit Recommendation
Potential credit at 1500 schools for students of free online courses

WASHINGTON, DC — The National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS, Regents Research Fund, USNY) has approved three Saylor.org course exams for recommended credit at over 1500 cooperating colleges and universities. Students passing a proctored exam can potentially obtain three credits for each of the recommended courses:

“National CCRS (formerly PONSI) is pleased to extend college credit recommendations to students who successfully complete these learning experiences,” said National CCRS Director Tina Grant. “In keeping with our forty year-old model of evaluation, the courses and assessments were carefully reviewed by a team of independent, credentialed professors and subject matter experts from prestigious institutions. The success of the evaluation for these three courses lies in Saylor’s course development model, which clearly links learning objectives to outcomes and weaves open educational resources to support student learning.”

Cost-effective pathways to college credit

Students who complete the proctored exams have an opportunity to pick up college credit at a fraction of the cost of traditional enrollment: Saylor.org courses and exams are free, and approved proctoring services (ProctorU) cost $25 per exam. That figure can drop to zero if students arrange for in-person proctors such as school administrators.

School-approved credits from the NCCRS recommendations might help a student to fill in gaps or skip ahead — students should inquire with their institution, which may deny or grant actual credit based on its prior learning and credit transfer policies. While there’s no guarantee, there’s promise: three Saylor.org courses bearing NCCRS recommendation could save students thousands of dollars, and the Saylor Foundation intends to bring more credit-bearing courses into play.

“We’re helping students go beyond extra-curricular learning and put our courses towards their higher education goals,” said Devon Ritter, Special Projects Administrator at the Saylor Foundation. “This is a big step toward our mission of making education freely available to all, and we hope to build on this achievement with additional credit recommendations for our catalog of free courses.”