Ionel Naghi left Romania in 2003 with $50 in his pocket. Once he got to Connecticut, he quickly learned something that was both surprising and confusing.
"Back in Romania, universities are free. I mean, there's public higher education," Naghi said. "I was surprised to see that was not really the case any more in the United States."
It took him a few years of waiting, and looking, and researching. Finally, he found an online program where he could earn a bachelor's degree in computer science for not much money.
As more people look to online schools for certificates and degrees, it's raised questions about the quality of these classes, especially for the ones that don't cost anything. But some students, like Naghi, simply want to learn skills they can use, and aren't as concerned about where they're learning.
Naghi said he doesn't really care about the perception. He owns his own computers business, and he just wants the knowledge.
"The IT industry is changing rapidly, so that was one important thing that convinced me that it's time for me to pursue a higher education program," he said.
Naghi chose the University of the People, which offers accredited degrees. For him, it's a chance to level the playing field.
"We have the tools, we have the platforms to do it better, to do it for less money, to allow disadvantaged people to really prove that they can do more," he said. "And higher education is one way of doing this."
But there are hundreds of online learning programs out there -- and their quality varies wildly.
So the U.S. government has stepped in to figure out which programs are working, and to encourage partnerships between traditional schools and the online programs. The education department will soon be offering student loans for online classes, once it figures out which ones are effective.
