Will Affordable Online Education Take Over?

Right now, post-secondary education is a very expensive endeavor. Depending on the school, students can end up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, making the idea of attending somewhat terrifying. With so much money on the line, and no promise of a tuition decrease in the near future, it is inevitable that students and their parents will start looking into other options for quality education. Sites like Coursera are relatively few right now and most only offer courses, not degrees, but as more people realize that they can take courses from Stanford for free (or at least a fraction of the on-campus cost) on the internet, more and more people are going to choose that route. This means that more sites offering this service will pop up, more universities will offer their courses, and the average cost of a degree will be driven down. It will no longer be necessary to pay $200,000 for a degree, and more people will be able to access higher education.

How to Check an Online College's Accreditation

Online colleges have opened up new opportunities for higher education. Because you don't have to travel to a campus, you can take classes no matter where you are located. Online schools have lower overhead, which is often pased on the students in the former of cheaper tuition. Unfortunately some online colleges are not accredited which means that their credits cannot be transferred to other schools and many not be accepted by employers. Knowing how to check an online college's accreditation can save you from making a costly mistake.



Instructions

1 Search the college's website to see if it makes any reference to accreditation. Make a note of the specific agency that has given the accreditation. If you cannot find any information online, call the school directly to ask if they are accredited and, if so, with whom.

2 Check the credibility of the accreditation agency with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Its database is linked in the resource section. Questionable online colleges will sign up with a dubious accreditation agency or create its own agency. Those credentials are worthless for transferring credits or proving that your degree is legitimate.

3 Verify the information provided by the college to ensure that it is currently accredited with the named agency. This can be done by calling the agency, searching its database online if one is available, or searched the online database provided by the U. S. Department of Education, which is linked in the resources section.

4 Check with your employer, licensing agency or school where you'd like to transfer the credits if you plan to use your online degree for a specific purpose. For example, if you're pursuing a counseling degree, check with your state's board to see if the school is acceptable for licensing requirements. If you're working towards a promotion, make sure your employer's human resources department will accept the classes for any educational requirements.

Article Source: How to Check an Online College's Accreditation | eHow.com