Online College
Education Network
(OCEN)
Education : : Future : : Career : : Life : : Knowledge : : Experience
Accreditation Status
The
first step to a successful online education
is finding an online college facility that has
accreditation status. Accreditation status is
given to an online college if the institution
meets certain program standards established
by agencies composed of educational experts.
We have to take a greater responsibility for our education or we will lose out on the rights we have as online students of the world.
Students who get their education through an online college facility that does not have the appropriate accreditation status lose out on certain rights.
- Access of institution/student to federal financial aid, grants, and other federal support
- Transfer of credit hours/classes from one school to another
- Acceptance to graduate school
- Employer hiring when evaluating credentials of job applicants
- Eligibility to be licensed to practice in their profession
With the surge of online college courses being offered it has become important to verify whether or not the online educational facility has the appropriate accreditation status.
The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation web sites can provide you with important information on the subject of accreditation for online education.
There is one warning sign in particular that can advise you well on an online college's accreditation. If you can't seem to track down the agency that an institution claims it has been accredited by you may want to look elsewhere.