http://support.new.edu/entries/21180932-how-many-courses-can-i-take-in-a-term

Here’s another link to the FAQs regarding transfer credits which may clear up the confusion about 75% transfer credit in… http://support.new.edu/entries/21187913-will-you-take-my-transfer-credits And please remember if a student has prior mastery of a subject they can proceed, as mentioned in my first post, to the final.

Regarding the comment about take as many courses as a student can, the student does not need to satisfy the advisor to take another course. Please refer to this FAQ. They are contacting the Advisor to request which course they would like access to. Some students may want guidance on what is the best next course to take. We think that is a good service for the students, don’t you think? http://support.new.edu/entries/21180932-how-many-courses-can-i-take-in-a-term

About reapplying, we are an open access University with no admissions administration fee. Reapplying at New Charter is filling out and agreeing to the then current enrollment agreement. I can see though that “reapplying” might sound more difficult then that. It’s probably worthwhile for us to improve that FAQ so thanks for the feedback.

We would be glad to chat with you directly if you are still interested. As I don’t know your time zone, feel free to send me an email at the email connected to this post and a few times you are available next week and I’ll give you a call.

Best
Tim O’Connor

You make several points, and I wish to respond to each:
1. The opportunity for anyone to try courses out is a great one, and we are happy to have students write about their experiences at New Charter or compare classes there to other online degree programs.
2. While we mention that DETC is a national accrediting agency, in fact many students without knowledge on accreditation would be surprised to find that not all accreditation bodies are equal, and that’s the point we were trying to make. Your own FAQs point out that credits may not transfer to other institutions, and the possible repercussions of this for students wishing to advance or transfer.
3. The information I posted about “testing out” procedures is based entirely on the information on your FAQ’s under ‘Will you give me credit for my work experience,’ which does not mention the credit by examination procedure, nor does it (or anywhere that I could find on your site) mention the 75% figure you cite here. My calls to University Now and New Chapter were not returned, but that is very good information for prospective students to have.
4. The blog points out that there are indeed restrictions to how many courses they can take, and you do as well, even in this response. Point of fact: Your site claims ‘unlimited courses and materials’ not ‘as many courses as they can successfully complete.’ Clearly it’s not unlimited if they can take just 3, then need the satisfaction of their advisor or school to enroll in more.
5. You are entitled to believe whatever you wish about your absence policy. Many other institutions allow students to suspend their studies and resume a program without reapplying. Also, traditional higher ed academic breaks, such as summers, are longer than 30 days. Adult students sometimes can’t stay enrolled in a constantly-renewing course of study, and this obligation is an uncommon one in higher ed. It’s also not particularly clear off-the-bat in your marketing that this is what you require of enrolled students.
6. I did indeed notice the members of your board are esteemed educators, but alas, blog posts must end somewhere.

The blog was an opinion of mine, not the company’s, and I am are happy to repost your points about the school’s academics and refund policies as we have here, for any potential students. Thanks for your feedback.

1) One of things great about New Charter is anyone can sign-up for free and try out our courses, and then make their own informed decision about the quality of the courses. And isn’t that the way it should be? Unfortunately in Higher Education we know of no other school offering this level of transparency. We’d love it if every school made their courses transparent in advance, like we are doing, so that prospective students could then make better, informed decisions about the school they decide to attend. We’d welcome a direct open comparison of our courses to other schools that cater to the millions of working adults who are trying to improve their lives by getting a degree. Don’t you find it strange and sad that other universities keep their courses behind a fire-wall and don’t allow the public to see in advance what it is they are buying? Wouldn’t that be great for students and prospective employers if they knew clearly what is it that the student mastered? We think that is a better way. And at New Charter what we are doing is transparent. We won’t be the school of choice for everyone. We do however think we’ll be a school of choice for thousands of students who are being underserved by the current higher education system.

2) Your comment implying that national accredited credits cannot transfer to other schools is factually incorrect. Yes we are accredited by DETC and are proud of it. Did you know Western Governors is also nationally accredited by DETC and on its website mentions they will consider national accredited institutions for transfer credit? Additionally New Charter is a member of the Higher Education Transfer Alliance, a 500 member group of Colleges and Universities believing in the importance of student mobility and who affirm that their transfer policies are not made solely on the basis of the accreditation status of the sending institution.

3) The blog implies students can only “test out” of 25% of the courses, which is factually incorrect. Associate and Bachelor students can transfer in up to 75% of their credits towards a degree. Transfer credit may be awarded through a combination of transfer and/or credit by examination, which includes CLEP, Excelsior and DANTES exams. In addition, students take a test at the beginning of each course. If their results demonstrate they have already mastered the material, they can then proceed to the pre-final stage and then final.

4) Fully matriculated degree-seeking students can take as many courses as they can successfully complete in a term; your blog implies otherwise. We think it is in the student’s best interest to focus on a few courses at a time so they gain success with completing them prior to starting the next course, versus simultaneously working on 4 or more courses at the same time. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 40% of US College students are older then 25 years old. We have found this process of concentrating on mastering a few courses at a time works best for these working adults who are at the same time going back to school. This approach in no way though limits a student from taking as many courses as they can successfully complete in a term. The blog also mentions incorrectly that non-degree students are limited to four courses, per semester. Actually non-degree seeking students are limited to four courses before they must either become a degree-seeking student or discontinue enrollment at New Charter. This policy is very much in line with other 4-year colleges and universities. Once they move to degree-seeking then they can take as many courses as they can successfully complete in a term.

5) We believe we actually have a very student friendly leave of absence policy, which is very much in line with other schools and students seeking a degree. Your comment implies that our school is treating the student different then typical state or private universities; that is factually incorrect. Many schools in fact that service non-traditional students have no break between terms. Our policy lets students decide how much time to take off between terms, enabling them to plan their lives. And should a student withdraw and need to take an extra ordinary amount of time off, when they wish to begin again, all they need to do is reapply.

6) We were glad to see you mentioned Dr. Monaco and Dr. Baldeschwieler, who are leading our world-class education team. Did you also notice our Board of Trustees include three of the USA’s most respected leaders in the field of academics who have received international recognition for their innovative contributions to higher education? Therefore, we were surprised about your section header, academic credibility a concern for shrewd buyers. In addition, that section failed to mention our 60-day money back assurance; something we think would have given better balance to the section. We know of no other accredited college or university in the USA that offers this liberal of a refund policy. Therefore students can be confident in the quality of our programs as we are offering what we believe is the best refund policy in higher education, period.

Thank you for the opportunity to clear up some of the facts in your blog. We look forward to reading additional blogs.

Best

Tim O’Connor
VP Marketing
UniversityNow, Inc.