Online Education: The Importance of Accreditation

Distance learning is rapidly gaining ground as a legitimate option in the pursuit of a higher education. However, when choosing an online program, often the safest bet is to stick with accredited programs.

For a school to become accredited, it must meet specific requirements established by the official review board of an accrediting agency.

In an effort to regulate academic accreditation, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or CHEA, was established. The organization, which oversees 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities, is governed by a 20-person board of college and university presidents, institutional representatives and members of the public. CHEA currently recognizes 60 accrediting agencies.

Maintaining Academic Quality

Accreditation has served for more than 100 years as the primary symbol of a legitimate higher education, demonstrating the academic quality of a particular institution.

This academic label also has become the primary authority used by federal and state governments. For example, a school must be accredited in order to be eligible for federal and state grants and loans. Additionally, only accredited institutions can receive state funds.

In the eyes of students, accreditation can serve as a source of protection against academic fraud or abuse, such as degree mills. Those enrolled in an accredited school can rest assured that their school has met stringent academic requirements and their hard work will result in a degree with meaning in the professional world.

Regionally Accredited Institutions

An institution that has met the academic requirements set forth by a regionally based accrediting organization is regionally accredited.

The most common form of accreditation, more than 85 percent of all U.S. colleges, including online schools, are regionally accredited, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

While researching online schools, it is important to be aware of the pros and cons associated with regional accreditation.

Pros of Regional Accreditation:

• Regionally accredited institutions typically carry a higher level of prestige among the academic and professional worlds.
• Regional accreditation is the most widely recognized form of collegiate accreditation. For this reason, credits and degrees earned at a regionally accredited institution often are more widely accepted when students transfer from one school to another.
• Most corporate tuition reimbursement plans require that a school be regionally accredited.
• Online courses offered by regionally accredited schools typically are led by an instructor.

Cons of Regional Accreditation:

• Institutions with regional accreditation are generally more expensive than schools with national accreditation.
• Regionally accredited institutions generally require more liberal arts coursework, and regionally accredited online schools often offer fewer career-specific programs of study.
• Admission standards of regionally accredited schools typically are more competitive.

Nationally Accredited Institutions

Institutions that are nationally accredited are those schools that receive their accreditation from agencies that do not limit their scope to regional geographic areas. Nationally accreditation agencies generally focus on approving career, vocational and trade schools.

As with regional accreditation, it is important to be aware of the pros and cons associated with national accreditation.

Pros of National Accreditation:

• Tuition at institutions that are nationally accredited generally is typically less expensive that at regionally accredited schools.
• Nationally accredited schools often offer more practical, career-oriented majors while requiring fewer liberal arts credits.
• Nationally accredited schools generally have more relaxed admission standards.

Cons of National Accreditation:

• Credits earned at nationally accredited institutions often are not as widely accepted as those from regionally accredited schools and can be harder to transfer from one institution to another.
• Coursework at nationally accredited institutions might not be widely accepted in license-required industries, such as teaching, accounting, engineering and health care.
• Nationally accredited schools might be excluded from some corporate tuition reimbursement programs.
• Nationally accredited school are more likely to offer self-directed courses versus instructor-led classes.