BOSTON—In an experiment backed by the federal government, Northeastern University and General Electric are offering a new manufacturing degree program to be taught primarily at the company’s work sites. Students will take online courses through the university, undergo training at a GE plant and earn a bachelor’s degree within three years.
The biggest twist: For the first time, students who enroll in that kind of partnership will be eligible for federal financial aid.
Under U.S. law, financial aid is prohibited for programs in which at least half of the instruction comes from “ineligible entities” outside the school, such as GE. But in a pilot project meant to help low-income students, the U.S. Education Department is opening financial aid to eight programs jointly offered by schools and companies.
“While America has some of the best colleges and universities in the world, as a system we’re still catching up to the needs of today’s new normal college student,” Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell told reporters, adding that the typical U.S. college student is no longer an 18-year-old, but a working adult.
In its first year, the project will offer up to $5 million in federal aid for students in eight programs chosen by the Education Department. The experiment’s goal is to prepare students for the growing number of jobs that require some level of higher education, but on terms that are flexible enough for working adults.
The experiment is being called EQUIP, short for Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships.
Among the programs chosen by the department, most are new partnerships between colleges and education companies, including four academies for computer coding.
