U.S.

Department of
Education OP
E
Non-traditional Programs & Distance
Learning: What You Can and Cannot
Do to Support Your Students

Carney McCullough - Senior Policy Analyst,

OPE Marianne Phelps - Special Assistant, OPE

1
What’s the Problem?
OP
E

❚ Roots of Student Aid Program in the

60’s

2
Emerging Patterns of Non-
traditional Education
OP
E
❙ Self-paced Learning
❙ Sequential Course Enrollment
❙ Overlapping Terms
❙ Weekend Degree Programs
❙ Multiple Start Dates
❙ Combinations of On-campus and Distance
Study
❙ New possibilities for home/host school
enrollments 3
Campus Systems
OP
E
❚ Separate “On-campus” and
Continuing Education Systems
❚ Structured Around Terms
❚ Inability to Customize
❚ Organized to meet Institutional, not
Student Needs

4
What’s Not the Problem OP
E

❚ Distance Education per se (under

50% levels)
❚ Non-traditional Education provided in
Standard Terms

5
Term - Characteristics
OP
E

❚ Has a defined beginning date and a

defined ending date
❚ Students generally complete the
credits for which they are enrolled
within that time period

6
Standard Term - Characteristics
OP
E
❚ Semester or Trimester
❙ Approximately 15 weeks long
❙ Full-time is at least 12 hours
❙ Academic calendar is 3 terms - Fall, Spring
and Summer
❚ Quarter
❙ Approximately 10-12 weeks long
❙ Full-time is at least 12 hours
❙ Academic calendar is 3 quarters in fall,
winter and spring and often a Summer
7
quarter as well
Statutory and Regulatory
Provisions Governing Standard
Terms OP
E
❚ 30-week Academic Year
❚ 1 Day a Week
❚ Payment Period
❚ Calculation of Enrollment Status
❚ Loan Certification
❚ Pell Formula I
❚ Track Progress
8
Standard Term
OP
E
Example 1

6 credits 6 credits
Fall Spring

15 Weeks 15 Weeks

3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits

5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks

• Pell and Loan disbursements at beginning of each term

9
Standard Term
OP
E
Example 2

6 credits 6 credits
Fall Spring

15 Weeks 15 Weeks

3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits 3 Credits

5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks 5 Weeks

• Pell and Loan disbursements at beginning of each term

10
Non-standard Term -
Characteristics
OP
E
❚ Is not a semester, trimester or
quarter
❚ Could be terms of differing lengths or
terms that are the length of a
quarter but which measure progress
in semester credit hours

11
Statutory and Regulatory Provisions
Governing Non-standard Term
Programs
OP
E
❚ 12 hour rule - 30-week Academic Year
Basis
❚ Payment Period
❚ Calculation of Enrollment Status
❚ Loan Certification
❚ Pell Formula III
❚ Track Progress

12
 Non-standard Term - Vocational
Certificate Program OP
E
Loan certified for 37 weeks
Term 8 weeks 10 weeks 9 weeks 10 weeks 3 weeks
Length

6 cr 9 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 9 cr 3 cr

Start date* Week 8* Week 18* Week 27* Week 37* Week 40*

2nd Loan
Disbursement

*Pell disbursements each nonstandard term 13

FT Enrollment Status for each
Payment Period OP
E
Weeks of instructional time in the
Number of credit hours
payment period = Full-time enrollment status
in the academic year x
Weeks of instructional time in the academic
year (as defined by the institution)
24 x 8 6.4 cr Round up to 7 semester credits required for full-time
=
30

24 x 10 = 8 cr
30

24 x 3 2.4 cr Round up to 3 semester credits required for full-time

=
30
14
Pell Calculations for Non-
standard Term OP
E
Weeks of instructional time in the payment
Payment for the payment
Annual Award x period =
period
Weeks of instructional time in the academic
year (as defined by the institution)

$2,475 x 8 $660
=
30

$3,300 x 10 $1,100
=
30

$3,300 x 3 $330
=
30

15
Non-term - Definition
OP
E
❚ Does not meet the definition of a
term
❚ Could include self-paced programs or
sequential coursework

16
Statutory and Regulatory
Provisions Governing Non-term
Programs OP
E
❚ 12 Hour Rule -- 30-week Academic
Year or Longer
❚ Payment Period
❚ Calculation of Enrollment Status
❚ Loan Certification
❚ Pell Formula IV
❚ Track Progress

17
Non-term Bachelor’s Degree
Completion Program - Self
Paced
OP
E
Example 1 -- Student completes 12 semester credits in 15 weeks of a 40-week
academic year.

Week 1 Week 15 Midpoint Week 40

I_____________________________I________I_________________________________________I
Disburse Disburse Disburse 2nd
½ of Pell 2nd ½ of ½ of loan
and Loan Pell

Example 2 – Student does not complete 12 semester credits until week 22.

Week 1 Midpoint Week 22 Week 40

I_______________________________________I______I_________________________________I
Disburse Disburse 2nd
½ of Pell ½ of Pell
and Loan and loan

18
Reminders
OP
E
❚ 30-week Academic Year = 30 Weeks
of Instructional Time
❚ The 12-hour rule may apply to some
of your programs
❚ Many institutions which are
predominately standard term based
may also offer vocational programs
that are less than a year in length
19
Department of Education
OP
E

Distance Education Demonstration

Program

Email:
Carney_McCullough@ed.gov
Marianne_Phelps@ed.gov

20