Emory University and nine other colleges will soon allow students to take online courses offered by the schools and receive credit for their work.

Semester Online, the virtual consortium that includes Emory, will be taught by the same faculty and cost about the same as attending classes in person. The consortium says it's the first example of top colleges offering online, for-credit courses to undergraduates not enrolled at their schools.

Emory's Senior Vice Provost Lynn Zimmerman says the courses are not a substitute for residential education, but "about using technology to give students a richer experience."

Some of the other participating universities are Duke, Northwestern and Notre Dame. The schools will set their own admissions criteria for each of the courses offered.

Tags: Emory University, Emory, online college courses, online classes, online education