Out-of-class learning equals college credit

Tracy Martin long considered going to college but worried about the time and cost.

The 52-year-old decided to enroll after hearing about "prior learning," which lets adults earn free credits toward a degree for college-level learning that occurred outside a traditional classroom, such as on the job, in the military or through corporate training.

Colleges in Georgia and across the country are awarding prior-learning credits to help older students earn degrees more quickly and more cheaply.