BALTIMORE, Md. and ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StraighterLine (StraighterLine.com) and Excelsior College (Excelsior.edu) today announced an agreement that will enable StraighterLine students to access Excelsior College Examinations, directly from StraighterLine's website. Students taking StraighterLine online college courses can use Excelsior's internationally accepted exams to earn college credit that will be recorded on an Excelsior College transcript, in addition to StraighterLine transcripts.
"Online learning and competency-based education offers the potential to dramatically decrease the cost of higher education," says Burck Smith, StraighterLine's CEO. "By offering Excelsior's high-quality, validated exams, our StraighterLine students can better credential their learning and accomplishments without breaking the bank."
At StraighterLine students pay only $99 per month plus $39 per online course and can move as quickly or slowly through the course materials as they like. Students taking Excelsior College Examinations can earn 3-6 lower- or upper-level credits for as little as $95. StraighterLine students do not need to be enrolled at Excelsior to take any of the proficiency exams covered by this agreement.
"Throughout its more than 40-year history, a major aspect of Excelsior's mission has been increasing access to a college degree, especially among those historically underserved by higher education, including working adults," said Dr. John F. Ebersole, president of Excelsior College. "Working with StraighterLine is a natural extension of this mission. Creative and innovative collaborations such as this are highly important to meeting our nation's workforce needs in this era of post-traditional higher education."
About Excelsior College
Excelsior College (www.excelsior.edu) is an accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, NY, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The American Council on Education College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for Excelsior College Examinations.
About StraighterLine
StraighterLine has been recognized as a revolutionizing force in higher education by major news organizations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for offering students online courses that earn real college credit for just $99 a month. Fast Company named StraighterLine one of the "10 Most Innovative Companies in Education."
In order to facilitate the award of credit, StraighterLine has forged partnerships with many leading accredited online colleges and universities. StraighterLine offers more than 35 entry-level online college courses in the sciences, humanities, English, math and business that are eligible for college transfer credit. StraighterLine's courses are evaluated and recommended by the American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT). In addition to the institutions with which StraighterLine has a direct relationship, more than 250 other colleges and universities are reported to have accepted StraighterLine coursework for transfer credit.
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