What Do I Need to Know About Online College Accreditation?

You may have heard the term "accreditation" before and wondered what it means and how it applies to you. If you are planning on attending college — online or on campus — accreditation affects you and your education. First off, accreditation is the status at which all higher learning institutions hope to achieve. It signifies that a particular school has meet the standards of quality education as deemed acceptable by a governmental or non-governmental accrediting agency. Accreditation can affect your education immensely. From the quality of instructors to eligibility for financial assistance, accreditation plays an important role in an institution’s functions.

When looking for an online college to attend, the most important thing to verify is if the school is accredited. In order to do so, you can refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s database of accredited postsecondary institutions and programs. Here, you can also find in-depth information on regional and national accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as reliable authorities for the quality of education. The fact is not all online colleges are accredited, and many legitimate schools are either too new to be granted accreditation or they choose not to pursue it. If you find out the online college you are interested in is not accredited, then you should investigate further to verify that it is a legitimate school and offers a quality education. According to a Peterson’s article, called Checking Out Accreditation, you should start your research by checking the regional accrediting agency that covers the state in which the school is located. The state agency can tell you whether or not the school has a legitimate charter. Next, check to see if there are specialized accrediting agencies that handle the specific program you’re interested in.

Accreditation is not only important to the quality and reputation of online colleges, but receiving a degree from an unaccredited college could affect how and if your college credits transfer to other higher learning institutions and if employers will recognize a degree or certificate for work. A report by, states that accreditation is essential when judging transfer of credits, recognition of qualifications and degrees, as well as entry to U.S. higher education from other countries.