TEMPE, Ariz. — YouTube can be a source of entertainment and knowledge, but what about getting college credit?
A new partnership between Arizona State University, YouTube, and content Creator Hank Green will allow potential learners to get college credit for classes that begin on the video site.
The first few classes are free. The price to get enrolled? $25.
“There is no transcript needed. There is no application required. There is no GPA threshold, and my favorite part is there is no penalty for failure,” YouTube Learning's Hema Bajaj Misra said.
So how does it work?
It all begins on the Study Hall YouTube page.
Learners can go to the "college foundation" section to watch a sampling of course content taught by ASU professors. If the learner likes what they see, they can pay $25 to take the seven-week course taught by ASU professors. After completing the class and required coursework, students can pay $400 to get college credit.
There are no limits to how many times the course can be taken.
“These credits transfer to whatever school someone is transferring to,” ASU Executive Vice President Maria Anguiano said.
Study Hall offers four courses typically taken during a student's freshman year: English Composition, College Math, US History and Human Communication.
“Our goal is to have 12 of those courses available by 2025 to allow students to receive credit,” Bajaj Misra said.
Bajaj Misra hopes the program could be a cheaper way to get credit for many prerequisite courses.
According to U.S. News and World Report, college prices have increased by more than 130% in the past 20 years.
At a rate of $400 per three credit hours, the classes cost less than one-third of the average course cost at a public four-year university for in-state students and nearly 90% lower than the average course cost of a private four-year university, according to ASU.
Why do this?
"We meet learners where they are," Anguiano said.
This is the first time YouTube has partnered with a University to help provide college credit. ASU said the first offering of classes beginning on March 7 is sold out, but there is still availability for summer classes.
Anguiano said ASU plans to allow students who get a "B" or higher on enough courses to be automatically admitted to ASU.
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