Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Title 23 a chapter numbered 15.1, consisting of a section numbered 23-191.1, as follows:

§23-191.1. Cooperative degree program plan.

The Secretary of Education and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in consultation with each two-year or four-year public or private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the Commonwealth and the Virginia Community College System, shall develop a plan to establish and advertise a cooperative degree program whereby any undergraduate student enrolled at any two-year or four-year public or private, nonprofit institution of higher education in the Commonwealth may complete, through the use of online courses at any such institution, the course credit requirements to receive a degree at a tuition cost not to exceed $4,000 per academic year.

2. That no later than October 1, 2016, the Secretary of Education (Secretary) and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (Director) shall report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Committee on Education and Health on the progress made by the Secretary and Director toward developing a cooperative degree program plan pursuant to this act.