Since 1973, The New York State Board of Regents NCCRS (National College Credit Recommendation Service) (formerly known as the National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction) has conducted its work on the premise that it is sound educational practice to grant college credit for high quality educational programs conducted by non-collegiate organizations. It is the Program's mission to increase access to higher education for adults by promoting academic recognition of these programs and to assist non-collegiate organizations and academic institutions in establishing cooperative, mutually beneficial relationships.

In order to assess the comparability of non-collegiate learning experiences to college-level instruction, NCCRS employs teams of evaluators or subject-matter experts with appropriate background in various content areas. After a thorough evaluation, college credit recommendations may be established for the learning experiences provided by the non-collegiate organization. These recommendations are then posted to NCCRS’s online Directory, (CCRS) College Credit Recommendation Service Online Directory, to be accessed by colleges and universities across the country.

NCCRS does not serve a regulatory function within the Board of Regents; rather, it provides an advisory service to non-collegiate organizations and academic institutions throughout the United States by translating non-collegiate course work into terms usable by the academic community. NCCRS's advisory nature also means that any college may accept, modify, or reject credit recommendations established by the Program, depending on the college's degree program requirements and institutional policies.