“Congress is poised to remove a controversial restriction on distance education after more than a decade of heated debate. Supporters say the move will spark a boom in online programs at traditional colleges, as well as the creation of for-profit businesses specializing in cybereducation, while critics argue that it will lead to an increase in diploma mills.
Lawmakers originally passed the rule in 1992 to counter a rash of fraud perpetuated by diploma mills and some correspondence programs in the 1980s. Known as the 50-percent rule, the regulation prevents any college that enrolls more than 50 percent of its students at a distance or provides more than half of its courses via distance education from participating in federal student-aid programs.”
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