The extension courses award CEUs (Continuing Education Units) instead of college credits for graduation purposes. CEUs serve to aid college attendees in other ways besides graduating from college: They look good on your resume, as an achievement accomplished, they show your ability and willingness to tackle educational subject matter for the sake of recreational learning, and they are sometimes recognized by an employer when determining pay raises or advancement opportunities.
A college extension course can include some formal educational matter, such as an English course or another language, but it will not require the student or the faculty teaching the course to adhere to the same rigorous standards imposed by the state for course objectives or completion. College extension courses typically don't require that you attend all sessions or limit absences in order to pass the course. They generally pass participants as long as they grasp a basic understanding of the course, as they do not typically assign grades. College classes for credit, however, do issue grades and sometimes require students to repeat a course if they don't pass it with a high enough score.
CE course types can include such subject matter as beginning conversational French, creating a successful business plan, discovering digital photography or writing fiction. College extension courses include some academic curriculum opportunities besides language and business, such as accounting. However, for the most part, college extension courses seek to provide adult learners with the chance to test out a skill set or occupation through a short college course, such as real estate marketing.
Only students enrolled in a college credit course at an institute of higher learning are eligible for state or federal financial assistance. College extension courses do not give college credit and, therefore, students participating in CEU courses are ineligible for this type of aid. However, some colleges do have financial assistance partners that they refer students to in these cases, such as the California State University of Long Beach.