NASH Releases First-of-its-Kind Systemwide Blueprint for Scalable Course Sharing

A roadmap for systems to boost student success, expand access, and unlock new revenue

WASHINGTON, D.C., NY, UNITED STATES, December 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) recently announced the release of Course Sharing in Action: A Practical Guide for Higher Education Systems, a first-of-its-kind report illustrating how course sharing is helping public higher education systems keep students on track to graduate, reduce time-to-degree, expand access to high-demand coursework, and increase institutional revenue by filling unused course seats.

This report is a practical, system-focused guide that shows how public higher education systems can design, launch, and scale course-sharing initiatives. It presents real case studies from nine systems to provide clear steps, models, and considerations for implementation. These nine systems participated in NASH’s course sharing initiative, funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and offered their insights based on their shared knowledge of implementation challenges and solutions.

As the value of a college degree comes under heightened scrutiny, the report makes clear that public systems must respond with innovation, efficiency, and urgency. Course sharing offers exactly that by modernizing cross-registration, removing bottlenecks, and providing students with access to the classes they need, while helping institutions maintain revenue and utilize their existing capacity more effectively.

“Course sharing keeps students on track, saves them time and money, and strengthens institutional finances — that’s the power of systemness in action,” said Nancy Zimpher, President, NASH. “With this guide, NASH is providing systems with the practical roadmap and critical support needed to scale these solutions quickly and sustainably. Public higher education is not just adapting, we are leading.”

Drawing on case studies and interviews with leaders from nine public systems, including the Montana University System, University of Hawai‘i System, Texas A&M University System, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Texas State University System, Southern Illinois University System, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, Louisiana Board of Regents, and State University of New York (SUNY), the report documents why and how systems are adopting course sharing, and the measurable benefits emerging from early implementations.

Key Insights from the Report:

1. Course Sharing Keeps Students on Track
Systems are using course sharing to eliminate bottlenecks that delay graduation. One system identified 1,000 students within 12 credits of graduating who needed off-cycle courses, a demand that course sharing made possible to meet.

2. Course Sharing Strengthens Institutional Finances
By filling otherwise empty seats, institutions generate new revenue without adding instructional costs. Systems reported reimbursement models where both home and host institutions come out ahead, making course sharing a financially sound strategy for scaling.

3. Course Sharing Expands Opportunity and Innovation
Systems are leveraging shared courses to build programs that institutions can’t offer alone. Louisiana’s Cyber Academy demonstrates how institutions can collaborate to deliver statewide, workforce-aligned pathways, while others utilize course sharing to create shared certificates and strengthen two- to four-year transfer pipelines.

Course sharing, the report argues, is not just an academic scheduling tool; it is an innovation strategy rooted in systemness.

“Across the systems we studied, the evidence is unmistakable: course sharing removes the bottlenecks that inhibit student progress and unlocks new financial and academic capacity,” said Dan Knox, Vice President for Innovation, NASH. “This report matters because it shows how systems can turn empty seats into revenue, meet student demand, and build programs that individual institutions couldn’t deliver alone.”

With this report, NASH aims to equip systems with the practical guidance, lessons learned, and implementation models needed to accelerate course-sharing efforts nationwide. As more systems adopt these approaches, course sharing is rapidly becoming a cornerstone strategy for improving student success and strengthening the financial resilience of public higher education.

Download the Report

About NASH

Founded in 1979, the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) works to advance the role of multi-campus systems and the concept of systemness to create a more vibrant and sustainable higher education sector. NASH represents nearly 90 public higher education systems nationwide, serving nearly 14 million students. Learn more at www.nash.edu.

Tracy Soren
Good Rebellion
+1 347-201-0432
tsoren@goodrebellion.com
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