The decision could affect more than a dozen institutions that had waivers in order to receive federal aid for their programs.
The U.S. Department of Education is ending experiments that allowed participating colleges with competency-based education (CBE) programs to receive federal aid, according to an agency letter obtained by Education Dive.
Launched in 2014, the experiments waived federal aid rules for some colleges with CBE programs, which allow students to complete coursework mostly at their own pace instead of on a fixed schedule. The aim was to collect data to inform policy decisions on CBE. Inside Higher Ed first reported the Ed Department was halting the experiments.
The Ed Department notified affected colleges last month that the experimental sites initiative will end on June 30, 2020, though colleges that have active programs may be able to receive federal aid through 2021 to give students time to complete their studies.