Sunday, 10 June 2018

Free College Education?



Why?
Two years ago, my then pregnant wife, Ravit, said to me, "Nobody makes it easy for parents to go back to college...don't they understand we're busy and trying to save money?" My wife's frustration was a big reason why I founded our startup.  As a stay-at-home mom, she didn't have time to get another degree. Yet, she wanted to learn a new career to work from home. If parents want to rejoin the workforce after spending years at home raising children, how do they get the careers and degrees to stay competitive? Money is tight, schedules are unpredictable, and there is never enough time.
Who Are We?
OnlineDegree.com is a team of startup veterans, leading academics and PhDs (from NYU, West Virginia University, Georgetown, etc).  We’ve been working for over 2 years to make higher education more affordable and accessible for everyone. It’s been an incredible adventure to combat entrenched roadblocks and norms.  More about us here: https://www.onlinedegree.com/about-us/   
How it Works
Students take as many college-level courses as they’d like on Psychology, Robotics, Computer Programming, Marketing, Criminal Justice and many many more…free. We’ve then partnered with accredited universities across the country so students can receive college credit for the courses they’ve taken (there are pathways to receive credit at over 1,400 schools in total throughout the US.)
Our courses are:
  • Online and Available 24/7 - No class schedules, no fixed times, and completely self-paced.
  • Easy to Get Started- No applications, No entrance exams, and most importantly, No tuition. 
  • Interesting and Top Notch-  Our professors are experts in their respective fields with PhDs and advanced degrees. The courses are incredibly interesting.
  • Recommended for over 44 units of college credit to over 1,400 universities and colleges

Why Is This So Disruptive?
Stay-at-home parents can now start their path back to school while still changing diapers at home with the kids…regardless of their finances or busy schedules.   They can test drive different courses and subjects on their own schedule, be better prepared for college-level coursework at a university, and receive college credits toward their degree.  Given the often intimidating, inflexible and costly nature of applying to a typical community college or 4-year, we’re more like “wading” into the pool rather than forcing everyone to jump in.    
How Have We Made It Free?
We will always be 100% free to students…we're not going to compromise on that.   We’re exploring a marketplace for tutoring, Patreon, Kickstarter, university sponsorships, private grants, and many other avenues.  We are bold enough to look outside of the traditional tuition paradigm, there are all kinds of ways to keep the lights on without charging students or sacrificing educational quality.
Bridging the Gap:
By just understanding the predicament that parents have, I realized how poorly the current system addresses their needs...and the needs of millions of other people just like them.  OnlineDegree.com changes that...not only is it easy to get started, courses are available 24/7 at their own pace, and could save them thousands of dollars in money and time.
Pre-enrollment is happening right now.
You can read more on our launch release here http://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/05/prweb15471582.htm or more About Us here https://www.onlinedegree.com/about-us/  

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