Higher education leaders have proposed a way to make it easier for universities to offer online courses across state lines.

The proposal would replace a cumbersome patchwork of rules and fees that make it costly for universities to offer online courses to students in different states. With some seven million students enrolled in online college courses for credit — a number that is growing rapidly — higher education officials say it is crucial to simplify the system.

A commission on online learning led by former Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley outlined a proposal on Thursday under which any institution that had received state authorization for its online programs, based on certain quality and consumer protection standards, would be allowed to enroll students from other states that met the same basic standards and agreed to reciprocity.

Under the current regulatory scheme, which was designed for courses taught in brick-and-mortar classrooms, colleges and universities generally must register their programs in every state where they are offered.