Members of an influential online-learning task force said states should create uniform standards for online colleges and universities, making it easier for institutions to comply with a federal rule that will prove costly and confusing to web-based schools.
The Education Department’s (ED) state authorization rule [1], scheduled to take effect July 1, would force online colleges to seek authorization from agencies in every state where their students are enrolled.
Higher-education officials have said this requirement wouldn’t just be cumbersome for online schools; it could encourage colleges to withdraw from many states, especially states with small populations.
Funded by a $300,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education [2], officials from Excelsior College [3] and the Council of State Governments [4] released a white paper May 16 endorsing an “interstate reciprocity compact” that would streamline the process of getting state-by-state approval.