SNHU's College for America

College for America Personal Path programs are SNHU’s competency-based degree and certificate programs. Unlike traditional programs that require you to complete a certain number of credits or courses, competency-based programs let you earn a degree by mastering individual skills (competencies) and completing real-world projects instead of taking tests.

College for America Personal Path programs let you work through learning materials as quickly or slowly as you like, while meeting program requirements, before submitting your project to subject matter experts for review. If your project shows that you have mastered the skill, you move on to the next; if not, you can go back and re-submit your project as many times as it takes to master the skill. Many people find it to be the perfect fit for their learning style, offering flexibility and a list of mastered competencies they can show to employers.

Some examples of competencies include:

• “Can present information in a variety of professional formats”
• “Can analyze key elements of successful inventory management”
• “Can inform budget planning in healthcare utilizing relevant financial documents”

All-you-can-learn-in-a-term subscription model

Unlike traditional online courses, where each class costs a certain tuition fee, SNHU’s College for America Personal Path programs are billed using an all-you-can-learn-in-a-term model. Like a gym membership, tuition for Personal Path programs is paid at the start of each term and it’s up to you how much you learn during the term. By completing more projects per term, you can potentially graduate sooner and for less money. You must complete a minimum six projects per 16-week term.

Submit your work as many times as you need to earn “Mastered”

Whether you’ve tried college before or this is your first time, test anxiety should never get in the way of earning your degree. With College for America Personal Path programs there are no letter grades — only “Mastered” and “Not Yet.”

It’s important to note that “Not Yet “does not mean failure. It simply means you have more to learn to demonstrate mastery. Most students receive a “Not Yet” grade the first time they submit a project along with feedback from their project reviewer. You can revise and submit your project as many times as you need to achieve “Mastered.”

Don’t just take our word for it. Watch this video.

As part of its mission to reinvent and improve higher education, SNHU launched its College for America program in 2013 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lumina Foundation.

College for America was designed around a competency-based education (CBE) format that empowers students to complete projects and demonstrate competencies via direct assessments, rather than taking scheduled online classes.

College for America was first university program in the nation to be approved for federal financial aid under the U.S. Department of Education’s direct assessment provisions, independent of traditional credit hours.

A different path to the same degree

Instead of earning letter grades through traditional classroom assignments, learners work to master job-related "competencies" (skills) that they demonstrate 100% through projects. And they get to do it largely on their schedule—which gives them maximum flexibility and the ability to progress more quickly towards a degree by using knowledge and skills they've already gained in the workforce.

Use this calculator to make an early estimate of your total annual enrollment cost for SNHU’s College for America programs. It is designed to estimate costs and eligibility for financial aid.