A Change At Bastiat Free University

Bastiat Free University has always been centered around free.

Free as in outside of government control, and free as in letting interested students have no-charge access to classes.

In many ways BFU has historically sought to deemphasize what they call their degree track option. Degree track involves a low cost approach to earning your college degree. They claim to offer both low cost and no cost, quality, self-directed, distance learning.

The emphasis has always been on learning as being more important than chasing a certificate. The ideal BFU student has been pictured as a business person that wants to learn about the world - and about improving their business. BFU has even gone so far as to state that starting your own business can be a better choice than attending college, even their college.

The two newest programs at Bastiat University run counter to this prior emphasis on no-cost learning. They now have, or are more appropriately they are creating, an Achievement Certificate Program and a new BFU idea they are calling a subscription college.

In fact in one of their recent BFU blog posts they openly discussed some of the disadvantages of distance learning, and proposed a solution to many of them. They suggest you start your own local study and support group. They even go so far as to suggest offering a discount for group study under the subscription college plan.

Interestingly they don't stress the still available no-charge college format, even though they do mention it a couple of times. It is apparent they have no intention of taking the free out of Bastiat Free University. It is equally apparent they are striving to deliver what their students say they want.

I've referred to Bastiat Free University as being student-centric a couple of times recently. Perhaps they aren't changing that much after all.

.