How to find Accredited Online Schools

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September 15th, 2016 by schoolbound

According to a 2014 report by the National Center for Education Statistics, over 12 percent of college students are enrolled in a distance education course. Beyond that, over 13 percent of college students are taking some form of online classes. Online schools are an affordable and convenient way to earn your degree. Below explains how to find an accredited online school.

Beware of Scams
Be aware of any school that has a prestigious sounding, familiar name. Many fraudulent online schools will simply choose a renowned name and slightly modify it. In addition to this, deceptive online schools will advertise that their degrees can be quickly completed with minimal effort. Finally, fraudulent online schools will have limited student services available, such as student advisors, tutors and tech support.

Online Research
There are many online resources that will assist in reviewing and verifying an online schools accreditation. For example, the website Guide to Online Schools offers over 5,000 reviews of over 200 online schools. In addition to this, education giantPeterson’s offers resources for finding the right online school. Finally, consider simply performing a Google search of the schools’ name and read reviews posted by other students.

Credits
A great way to find out if the school is legitimate is to see if other schools will accept their credits. Simply contact a local, well-established community college or state university and inquire if they will accept the credits. All regionally and nationally accredited higher learning institutions will have strict credit transfer requirements. In addition to this, you can also inquire if other schools will accept a degree from the online school in question.

Accreditation
Many online schools will claim to have local, regional or even national accreditation, but it only counts if the accrediting agency is legitimate and recognized by the Dept. of Education. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) is the leading online school accrediting organization. This website offers a search institution function that will allow the users to immediately confirm if the online school is accredited. The DEAC is recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In fact, the CHEA offers their own database search engine, here. In addition to this, the Dept. of Education offers a database of accredited schools that can be searched, here.

To summarize, online schooling is an affordable and flexible way to obtain a degree. Researching online, checking with other local colleges and verifying accreditation will help you choose the best school for you.