How to Earn Online College Transfer Credits (2024)

Moving into a dorm on a college campus isn’t the only way to take your first step toward earning your college degree.
With StraighterLine’s transferable online courses, you can start earning credit that you can put toward
your degree on your own time, at your own pace. We’ll show you how.

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General Calculus

Java programming

Business Statistics

General Physics

Organic Chemistry

How Does Earning College Credits with
StraighterLine Work?

Earning online college transfer credits with StraighterLine is simple — really, it’s

just a few easy steps, and you’re well on your way.

01

Sign Up with StraighterLine

First, you’ll create an account and sign up for a membership with us. Our membership gives you access to all of our courses, online tutoring, live support, and more.

02

Choose Your Courses

Once you’ve established your membership, you can browse through and choose your courses. We have over 70 courses that our students can choose from, and every course saves you money, time, and can count for credit towards your degree.

03

Support Your Education with Our Resources

Taking self-paced, online courses doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Your membership gives you access to our online tutoring and live student support services. With these resources, you can get the technical, membership, or course support you need to thrive in StraighterLine’s transferable online courses and start building your future.

StraighterLine Tutoring & Student Support

Just because you choose to take your classes online doesn’t mean you have to be in it alone. At StraighterLine, we’re dedicated to your successful education. We ensure our students have the resources they need to complete their courses with confidence.

Orientation & Tutorials

24/7 Tutoring

eTextbooks

04

Complete Your Courses to Earn Credit

All of our courses are self-paced — you can take as much or as little time as you need to work through them. In order to be eligible for credit, courses must be completed. This means the student has submitted all required exams and assignments. 

 Our transferable online courses are recommended for credit by the American Council of Education (ACE). ACE is one of the nation’s leading authorities on issues of higher education, and they evaluate nontraditional forms of learning such as military training courses, government training courses, corporate training courses, and other online courses, to offer recommendations for transfer credit. Over 1,000 college and university faculty across the country have reviewed over 36,000 courses on behalf of ACE. Did we mention that they have recommended all of StraighterLine’s credit bearing courses? It’s true!

05

Transfer & Complete Your Degree

Once you’ve completed your courses with StraighterLine, you can request a transcript at no extra cost. This transcript will show which courses you’ve taken and the credits you’ve earned. You can then submit this transcript to your college of choice, and they can evaluate your transfer credits and course equivalencies to award you credit toward your degree. 

 All of StraighterLine’s partner colleges, plus an additional several thousand schools, accept ACE credit recommendations. No matter which college you choose to continue pursuing your degree, it’s important to reach out to a student advisor or a registrar to see if your credit will transfer.  

Starting with StraighterLine can help you reach your goals. Based on a case study with Strayer University, 41% more students who went through StraighterLine before entering college and transferring their credit were successful completing their degree than those who didn’t.

Want to Learn More About How to Transfer Your Credits?

Download our free guide on transferring StraighterLine courses.

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How Do My StraighterLine Credits
Become College Credits?

The credits you earn through StraighterLine courses become college credits through a transfer process.
This process involves submitting a transcript detailing your StraighterLine courses to the college or
university where you plan to complete your degree. Your student advisor or the school registrar will
evaluate which credits can be transferred.  

We’re confident in the transferability of our courses due to ACE Credit recommendations and our
relationship with our partner colleges.

ACE Credit Recommendations

The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends courses for credit and equivalencies. They evaluate a number of different nontraditional learning opportunities including courses, exams, and other learning experiences occurring outside the traditional classroom, including the military.

 ACE provides an official ACE Transcript that includes credit recommendations for students who have earned experience through these nontraditional learning opportunities. Aside from a small set of college prep and certification training courses, all transferable StraighterLine courses have been recommended for credit by ACE, and students who complete them are eligible to receive an ACE Transcript.  

Several thousand schools accept ACE Credit.

Partner Colleges

StraighterLine has a partnership with 150+ accredited colleges and universities. These institutions are familiar with StraighterLine’s courses, which can make your transfer process easier. Some of them even offer important scholarship opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Why is StraighterLine so affordable?

StraighterLine offers fully online learning experiences without the institutional overhead of a college or university, which is why we are able to offer high-quality, self-paced courses at an affordable price.

Are there any application fees or admission requirements?

No. There are no admission requirements or application fees, so you can get started right away.

Can I cancel at any time?

There is no long-term commitment with StraighterLine. You can start or stop your Monthly Membership at any time and restart when you are ready.

What happens if I cancel my StraighterLine Membership without completing my course(s)?

If you cancel your membership before you’ve completed your courses, any course progress will be saved until you’re able to return. You can restart your membership at any time, without penalty, and pick up right where you left off in your courses.

Do I have access to my course(s) after I cancel my StraighterLine Membership?

If you cancel your membership, you retain access to your courses until your billing cycle ends. If you cancel before your next billing date, then you will have access until that date. For example, if you canceled on September 2nd and your next billing date is on the 17th, you will have 15 days of access to your courses before your account fully expires.

If you cancel on your billing date/at the end of a billing cycle, you will lose access to your courses at the time of membership cancellation.

Can I request a transcript if I do not have a StraighterLine Membership?

Yes, transcripts can be requested at any time and do not require an active membership.

Can I cancel my StraighterLine Membership before all my assignments are graded?

Yes. In the case where you completed your coursework, you may cancel your membership before your last assignment(s) are graded and a final grade is posted to your course.

If you need to resubmit the assignment based on feedback or do not successfully pass the course and wish to retake it, you will need to renew your membership to regain access to the course.

What features do I have access to without a StraighterLine Membership?

Without a membership, your access is restricted to your Student Dashboard, where you will be able to:

View and request transcripts
Access Help Center resources
View your past purchase history
Manage your Account Settings
Renew your StraighterLine Membership

You must have an active membership to purchase or access a course. Learn more about our Terms of Use here.

Save Thousands on Tuition with StraighterLine

StraighterLine has over 70 courses that are affordable, self-paced, and entirely online.

Explore our courses and get started today.

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VIEW OUR COURSES

The Standard Membership
& Course Pricing

To take courses with StraighterLine, students sign up for a membership and then purchase individual courses. The price of a Monthly Membership is $99, and courses start at $79. That means that the price for one course starts at just $178.

Your membership also includes:

Unlimited courses: Your Monthly Membership cost stays the same no matter how many courses you take. You can purchase an unlimited number of additional courses with your Monthly Membership.

No application fees: There are no admission requirements, transcript evaluation, or application fees, so you can get started right away. No long term commitment: You can start or stop your Monthly Membership at any time — and restart when you are ready.

Free one-on-one online tutoring: Includes writing center, scheduled or drop-in

Live support: Get the technical, membership, or course support you need from our dedicated Student Advisors.