Online University
Accreditation is the procedure of reviewing a school’s programs and policies to see if it meets criteria set by an outside agency. Online schools accredited by these agencies are found to meet the minimum criteria, to receive the accreditation.
Why is accreditation vital?
Accreditation is intended to look after students, schools, and employers. It ensures that an online degree from an online school has given its students quality education and met required standards.
When students receive an education degree from online schools accredited by the right agency, they can be sure that it will be accepted by employers.
Smilarly, when employers are looking to hire, they can be assured that a graduate with a university degree from an accredited school has received the training required to fulfill the role and didn’t pay for a degree from a diploma mill school, rendering it almost worthless.
Who can grant accreditation?
Accreditation from the wrong source, such as an accreditation mill, can be even worse than no accreditation at all.
Make sure when you are about to take a college degree online that your online school is accredited by an agency recognized by either the United States Department of Education (USDE) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Here's how you can quickly find out if any online schools accredited by these agencies are legitimate:
1. Go to the U.S. Department of Education's College Search page: www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.asp
2. Enter in the name of your online school you would like to research and hit "search."
3. You will be shown a school or several schools that match your search criteria. Click on the school you are looking for.
4. The selected school's accreditation information will show. Make sure this information is about the right school, compare the details with the contact and address details you already have.
5. You can view the college's accreditation for the whole school or specialized accreditation for departments within the school. That’s it.