New Law Bans Use of Federal Student Aid for Foreign Colleges' Online Programs

First, I seriously doubt that most DL providers here in the states need a “leg up” on their foreign counterparts. Most Americans, including myself, would rather earn their degrees from a school stateside, if nothing other than for the sake of logistics.

Second, this policy doesn’t have any bearing on Americans studying on foreign soil in person. I’d dare say there are more Americans studying with foreign institutions in person than Americans studying with foreign schools via DL. If the leg-up issue was truly relevant and consistent, then federal aid would be abolished for all overseas study.

The problem is that DL here in the states, while broad in participation levels, is poor in program offerings. Most DL schools specialize in Business, Psychology, Human Services, and Education. Other programs are certainly available, but they are minority.

Take philosophy, for example. It is very difficult to find quality, DL, graduate-level philosophy programs here in the States at this time. As such, I enrolled with a British university in a DL masters so I can specialize in continental philosophy. Why? Because there was so such program available in my own country.

If the government won’t allow DL students to use their federal benefits to study with an overseas program, then American schools should expand their program offerings. As a result, this policy is a literal step back for distance learners. Either they earn a degree in an area where the have little interest, or they earn no degree at all because their program is not available. This isn’t an issue if a DL student has the means to pay these expenses out of pocket, but I imagine most people can’t.

Personally, I think if such a policy is going to be in place, then it should at least address the fact that some programs are not available for study with American DL schools. Perhaps a better approach would have been to allow federal aid to be used for programs not on offer here in the States.

 

I disagree with you to a certain point. There are plenty of schools that are not accredited where federal benefits can be used. I think some trade schools fit this bill, and they are accredited in the traditional sense.

Be that as it may, I agree with you as it relates to university, degree-based programs. I've never said otherwise here.

 

You're probably right in this regard. There's a good argument which calls for a revision of how tuition is set up.

 

I thought I saw a thread or comment a while ago about changes to Education Dept. regulations that would now allow aid to students attending fully online programs. The key here being schools that do not have a comparable b&m program, campus or token residency requirement.

Does anyone recall this thread and if so would you post any info or links you have to it. For the life of me I can't find it.

Thanks