There is little more important to finding a good online school than knowing if
it is accredited. If a school has accreditation, then an accreditation
institution has recognized the school based on a standardized set of standards.
Accrediting agencies decide the legitimacy of any online school based on many factors
including admission requirements, mission, faculty, curriculum and many other
factors.
Why Accreditation Matters
Accreditation agencies
are private organizations, and schools are not required to be accredited. Then
why would anyone be concerned about whether or not your online school is
accredited? There are a number of valid reasons,
Your future employer
cares Without accreditation, your future employer may not consider you qualified
for the job you've worked so hard to earn. Getting your degree or certificate
from any school without accreditation, you'll find few employers that think your
education is sufficient. And while there are employers that still don't value an
online education, accreditation provides legitimate proof that your education
matches any traditional education.
Schools also care about accreditation,
so if you ever plan on switching schools or continuing your education elsewhere,
you'll want to make sure your school is accredited. If you're attending a school
that's not accredited, your chances are slim that those credits will be
transferable. Accreditation also matters for nearly every type of financial aid.
Attending an online school that isn't accredited will prevent you from being
able to take advantage of these programs. How, then, can you check to see if
your school is accredited? You'll be able to find the accrediting agency listed prominently on the web page. You'll then want to go to the U.S. Department of Education website to find out if that accrediting agency is recognized by the
DOE..
