Purdue U. Global begins offering free online courses
Purdue University Global students can now take certain general education requirements for free through OnlineDegree.com, a move intended to reduce the cost of tuition, the online university announced this week.
Though OnlineDegree.com offers a slew of introductory online courses, it’s not guaranteed that credits will transfer to every university. The direct partnership means prospective students have clear, free options to take self-paced courses that are guaranteed to transfer when they enter Purdue Global. There will be up to 44 units of available credit to be earned through OnlineDegree.com, according to a Purdue Global press release.
“The aftermath of COVID-19 has left millions of jobless people in the country who need new skills and education,”OnlineDegree.com founder Grant Aldrich said in the press release. “Purdue Global is already a known institutional leader in providing excellent adult-focused education. Our partnership during these difficult times will make that high-quality education even more accessible to those people across the country who desperately need it.”
Purdue Global’s options are not included in the OnlineDegree.com transfer guide online yet, which includes course mapping to make sure students who are taking courses through the site receive credit. When users sign up for the site, they create a free online profile to explore the 15 free courses offered. In addition to the direct partnerships, OnlineDegree.com is part of the National College Credit Recommendation Service, which encourages universities and colleges to accept its transfer credits.
Purdue Global enrolls roughly 34,000 students and is an accredited online university catering to adult learners. For undergraduate programs for non-residents, the tuition price per quarter credit hour is $371.00, according to the most recent option on the university’s website.
Online programs rose in popularity over the course of the pandemic, including programs like Coursera and EdX, with EdX recently reporting a 10-fold growth in new users in 2020.
