If your student uses alternative forms of college credit, like Study.com for your homeschool, you’ll want to check the list below. I count 10 courses that have final exams deleted, and I just received an email from their team that NO COURSES will require proctored final exams anymore. Studycom joins Sophia and Straighterline in this practice. What will that mean for content integrity and acceptance of courses moving forward?
The recent decision by Studycom to remove proctored exams raises some important questions for me and my support around ACE providers. Earlier last year, Straighterline removed proctored exams, and the year before that they were eliminated by Sophia. For all the complaints we’ve heard about proctored exams (hard to prepare an approved space, uncomfortable to be “watched” during a test, privacy in the home, etc.) the truth is that the proctored exams helped maintain exam integrity- which is a top priority for companies like these.
These companies already operate in a space that can be difficult for families to navigate. ACE credit is not accepted everywhere, and in most cases, it only works at colleges that have a direct partnership with the provider. On top of that, these companies are still relatively new, only about 15 years old, which means they have not yet stood the test of time. In my first edition of Homeschooling for College Credit (2012) I dedicated a grand total of 3 pages to ACE credit. It was so new that I wasn’t even sure it should have 3 pages. In the second edition (2018) it dominated a good bit of Chapter 2 because it was really gaining momentum and real colleges were really accepting it. Alternative credit has helped SO MANY people in the Homeschooling for College Credit community earn a degree with flexibility and using affordable credit over the past 10+/- years, even one of my sons earned a bachelor’s degree using a lot of alternative credit.
But let’s look behind the curtain in 2026: Exam answers are widely shared online and AI can write a paper for you. Companies like this are going to have to prove that they can deliver a quality course and have it accepted at a target college.
My biggest concern is not just about testing, but about identity and trust. When a student brings in college credit from an unproctored NON-COLLEGE course, the target college has to trust that the work was truly done by that student. That is a big shift. Strong exam integrity matters for a few key reasons. First, it helps protect the credit so it will still be accepted years from now, when your student actually needs it. Second, it builds confidence with colleges so they continue to accept the credit without extra questions. Third, it protects the value of the education itself, making sure your student really learned the material.
I’ve been a big fan of alternative credit, but I owe it to you to track these changes and give you a long time to make adjustments. In our community, you’re planning 1-2-3-4+ years in advance, and the decisions you make today (and the decisions these COMPANIES make today) will all matter in 2027, 2028, and beyond. You can be sure I’ll stay on top of this.
From Studycom’s Update Report
Elimination of Proctored Exams
(March 2026 from Studycom) All Study.com course exams, including final exams, are:
- Open-book — you can refer to your notes, Study.com lessons, or other resources while taking them.
- Non-proctored — there’s no live proctor, webcam monitoring, or special testing software required.
- Online and self-paced — you can take exams anytime and anywhere with an internet connection.
Elimination of Final Exams (see list below)
If your student is CURRENTLY taking one of the following Studycom courses below:
- If you finish the course before the update date (including passing the final exam and submitting any required projects), you will not need to complete the updated materials.
- If you do not finish before the update date, you will need to complete any new lessons, assignments, or the revised final exam added to the updated version of the course.
If your student plans to start the course after April 1, 2026, they will automatically be taken to the updated version.
| Course Name | Upcoming Changes | Date Effective |
| Accounting 301 | Assessment in this course is changing including: updated requirements for 2 existing assignments, 1 new assignment, and the removal of a final exam as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 121 | Course instruction is changing; additional lessons will be added to the course. This course will have a new assignment as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 306 | Assessment in this course is changing, including: updated requirements for 2 existing assignments, 1 new assignment, and the removal of a final exam as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 310 | Assessment in this course is changing, including: updated requirements for 3 existing assignments and the removal of a final exam as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 311 | Course instruction is changing; additional lessons will be added to the course. Course assessment is changing, including: updated requirements for 2 existing assignments, 1 new assignment, and the removal of a final exam. Changes to instruction and assessment will be effective as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 314 | Assessment in this course is changing, including: updated requirements for 2 existing assignments, 1 new assignment, and the removal of a final exam as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 323 | Assessment in this course is changing, including: updated requirements for 2 existing assignments, 1 new assignment, and the removal of a final exam as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Business 325 | Assessment in this course is changing. As of April 1, 2026, both existing assignments in this course will have updated requirements. | 04/01/2026 |
| Criminal Justice 106 | Assessment in this course is changing. As of April 1, 2026, both existing assignments in this course will have updated requirements. | 04/01/2026 |
| Education 211 | As of April 1, 2026, course instruction is changing, including removal of several chapters and reorganization of lessons among chapters. Course assessment is changing, including: 3 new assignments and the removal of a final exam. Changes to instruction and assessment will be effective as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| English 310 | Course instruction is changing, including: additional chapters and lessons. Course assessment is changing, including: updated requirements for 2 existing assignments, 1 new assignment, and the removal of a final exam. Changes to instruction and assessment will be effective as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Geography 101 | Assessment in this course is changing. As of April 1, 2026, this course will require completion of 2 assignments and a final exam. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| History 106 | Course instruction and assessment are changing, including: new chapters and lessons, and updated requirements for 1 existing assignment. | 04/01/2026 |
| Hospitality 101 | Course instruction and assessment are changing, including 12 additional lessons and a new assignment. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Hospitality 105 | As of April 1, 2026, course instruction is changing, including removal of a chapter, new chapters and lessons, and reorganization of lessons among chapters. Assessment in this course is also changing. This course will require completion of 1 assignment and a final exam. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Hospitality 304 | As of April 1, 2026, course instruction is changing, including removal of a chapter, new chapters and lessons, and reorganization of lessons among chapters. Assessment in this course is also changing, including updated requirements for all 3 existing assignments and the removal of a final exam as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Philosophy 301 | As of April 1, 2026, this course will be renamed Philosophy 101: Principles of Philosophy. Course instruction is changing, including removal of several chapters and reorganization of lessons among chapters. Course assessment is changing, including: 3 new assignments, and the removal of a final exam. Changes to instruction and assessment will take effect as of April 1, 2026. Please refer to the syllabus after this date for full requirements to complete the course and earn credit. | 04/01/2026 |
| Physics 112 | Course instruction is changing; a new chapter on Wave Optics and Light Patterns will be added to the course as of April 1, 2026. | 04/01/2026 |
