What is CollegeLearning.com? The explosion of distance learning opportunities is certainly something to be celebrated by anyone who wants to pursue their lifelong learning goals without giving up other important aspects of their lives. However, the sheer diversity of distance courses that are now available is dizzying. Locating and applying for these courses, not to mention combining them in an effort to earn a career-advancing degree or certificate, can be frustrating to say the least. That's why we here at the International Center for Distance Learning (ICDL) have created CollegeLearning.com. This one-of-a-kind site leverages the power of Internet technology to make locating, applying for, and paying for quality distance learning courses convenient and enjoyable. No Application and Registration Fees CollegeLearning.com  has established a tuition model for course registration free of additional registration or application fees. Courses from over 175 accredited colleges and universities are offered covering a range of credit and non-credit courses. We have allied ourselves with professional and industry leaders to make distance professional development opportunities available. Many of our partner institutions have waived their application and registration fees for our members. However, as institutions have different requirements, you may be asked to complete an institutional application and/or pay additional fees. Books and materials are extra in most instances. Diverse Delivery Media While you might think that distance learning involves only courses that are delivered via the Internet, the courses that you will find on CollegeLearning.com are often delivered using a combination of media, depending on the subject matter and course goals. Delivery media for distance learning may include the Internet, cable television, CD-ROM, videotape, audiotape, videoconferencing, and seminars taught at geographically convenient locations. Quality is the element that ties all of our courses together. International Opportunities We are experiencing rapid international expansion! Therefore, we have many opportunities for investors and franchisees interested in joining our growing distance learning community. For more information about these opportunities, visit the ICDL corporate site at http://www.icdlfranchise.com/, or e-mail us.     How does CollegeLearning.com work? Academic portal, hub, clearinghouse, or interactive yellow pages . . . whatever you want to call it, CollegeLearning.com takes the legwork out of finding the courses you need to obtain or advance your degree. It does this by collecting and organizing a wide range of distance learning courses into a unified, searchable database. Our members use this database to find out about the various courses available to them and choose those that best help them meet their goals. Once members create a course roster, they are able to apply for their courses online, saving both time and money (the process is free!). They even have the option of paying their tuition online using a credit card.   Let's look at the process of searching and applying for courses step by step ... Note: The forms and tables below are not functional. They appear on this page, as images, for the sole purpose of showing what site functionality you will encounter.   Join the CollegeLearning.com community.   Select search criteria. Use the drop-down menus in the search form to select your search criteria. Then click the "Search" button. Review your course options. Search results are delivered in the form of a table that provides detailed information about each course that matches your search criteria. Review this table. It may contain as few as one course or hundreds of courses. For details about any course, click on its title. Choose a course. The Course Details page provides all of the essential information that you need to know about a course. It even includes links to information about the course's provider, and its relationship, if any, to a degree or certificate program. Once you find a course that suits your needs, click on "Request This Course" at the bottom of the form to add it to your schedule. Review your course schedule. Your course schedule organizes all of the courses you have requested into one form. This enables you to review them for possible conflicts or redundancies and to make necessary deletions. To add more courses to your schedule, click on "Back to Search." When you have completed your course schedule and are ready to start the application process, click on "Apply for Courses." Fill out an application. By filling out your applications online, you not only streamline the college registration process but you gain the right to have your registration fees waived. Confirmation of your registration, subject to the provider receiving all of the information it needs to admit you, will be confirmed by e-mail within 30 business days. Again, applying for a course through CollegeLearning.com is a no-risk process—if for any reason you are not accepted into a course, your money will be refunded in full.   Pay the tuition for your class. Payment options are as follows: Pay online using your credit card and our secure server. Send check or money order with course details to: ICDL One Burlington Business Center 67 South Bedford Street Suite 400W Burlington, MA 01803 If you have been awarded an ICDL scholarship or ICDL has approved a scholarship that you have received from another source, send a message (e-mail or postal mail) that includes the name of the course toward which you want to apply scholarship funds.