This interim policy will be applied to the approximately 32 recipients of SHEFA financial assistance enrolled in online courses.
Under his recommendation, online course taken after the spring term and before the fall term will be considered summer session courses. “Such courses will not be counted toward meeting full-time status,” Hofschneider said.
A SHEFA applicant must comply with the requirements of full-time status and cumulative grade point average in each academic term.
SHEFA has been accepting and approving applications of students enrolled in online courses.
“It is safe to say that most online schools allow their students to enroll in one or two courses at any given time, usually each month,” Hofschneider said.
He cited as an example the online students of University of Phoenix and Kaplan University who are taking more than one courses each month.
SHEFA, he added, must look into the online course schedule taken during the months that fall within the traditional academic terms.
There are advantages in applying academic terms to online programs, he said.
“One advantage is that all non-online and online applicants and recipients will be on the same level playing field,” he added.
The academic term under review will conform to the traditional college calendar, and eliminate treatment for online students that non-online applicants do not get, he said.
“Another advantage is that it will ensure online students will have a greater chance of complying with eligibility requirements to receive financial assistance,” he added.
