Stanford univercity to offer FREE online courses

bobster65 said:
I was, but that went over everyone's heads, specially those that don't have kids and never put their kids through an education in the US.

Jason, Im talking about Public (FREE) education provided by the Department of Education. K-12 is FREE for all US Citizens. Post Secondary education is NOT Free and not provided for free for every student in the US. The Department of Education does assist those with a financial need (not by giving them money, but helping them apply for Pel grants, Student Loans etc). UCLA is not under the control of the US Department of Public Education. It cost money to attend UCLA, just like it does Stanford. The difference is that Stanford won't just let anyone in, you have to qualify, where as UCLA will let anyone in (which is why they consider it public. ie open to the public).... you still need to have specific requirements met to apply for and "get in" to UCLA tho.

Slavik's entire beef was about not having to PAY for further education beyond what the Govt provides... Saying that the US has FREE Govt controlled post secondary education is FALSE. The US Department of Education does NOT provide Free Public Education beyond 12th grade. That is fact.
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This still isn't completely correct.

I don't know of any university that doesn't have qualifications for admission in the U.S., granted some are more stringent than others. Likewise, most all universities (private or public) offer financial aid of some sort. Public universities aren't considered public because of how their admissions process works, but rather how they're funded. Anyone can apply to attend any university, public or private, it doesn't mean they'll be accepted. And yes, the U.S. Government does provide free (or close to it) post-secondary education through grants to qualifying individuals. Some branches of the military also provide 100% tuition assistance (which I used in the Navy -- cost me nothing) and loan repayments, all of which is in addition to the GI bill (which I also used, but you pay into that). Some state and local governments also have similar programs. Then you have the military academies, which are federally chartered (public) universities, where not just anyone is admitted, but tuition is free, though there is a military requirement (but they still receive an undergraduate degree).

I graduated from UCLA, which is one of the University of California's various campuses. And while UCLA is no Stanford, it's acceptance rate is 21%, so again, no not just anyone is admitted -- the admissions process has nothing to do with why a university is considered private or public. It is considered a public university because the state of California funds it, and is governed by the Regents of the University of California, as required by California's state constitution. The regents are appointed by the governor. Most other public universities are state-sponsored, funded and governed in a similar matter within the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Education also does not "control" or establish any schools, though they do provide some funding, provided schools meet their criteria. But how schools are actually governed, and in large part funded, is left for the states and local governments to decide. Which, IMO, is part of the problem.

But yes, most people will not attend university in the U.S. without having to pay a dime. In fact, those who do attend will most likely amass a lot of debt thanks to student loans.
 
LOL I find it funny that I realize that I may need an education to understand the inner workings of the education systems in place in this country.
 
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