Policy and practice in incremental credentialing go hand in hand. Public colleges and universities will find it difficult to develop and implement incremental credentials without supportive or enabling policy at both the state and institutional levels, and private institutions seeking to do so will find such policy necessary at the institution level. It is also difficult to develop and implement incremental credentials (typically shorter-term non-degree credentials) without supportive federal policy. It is critical, therefore, that the developers of incremental credentials understand the policy context.