How to Find an Online Program Is Accredited
Introduction
A key indicator of legitimacy, experts say, is accreditation, a process conducted by an outside authority to ensure that a school and specific degree program – whether on campus, online or blended – meet certain standards of quality. Though it's voluntary, accreditation has several benefits and typically validates a program to other colleges and universities as well as employers.
Tips to Find Online Program Accreditation
Verify a School's overall Accreditation Online Check for Regional Versus National Accreditation Check the Online School's Institutional Accrediation History Identify Your Discipline Requires Programmatic Accrediation Verify the Programmatic Accreditors
Verify a School's overall Accreditation Online ď ˝ ď ˝
To determine whether an online school has institutional accreditation, its website is a good place to start. If so, prospective students should verify those accreditors are recognized by the Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, by visiting the department or council websites.
Check for Regional Versus National Accreditation ď ˝
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Prospective students researching online colleges' institutional accreditation might also look into whether the school has regional or national accreditation. While both are reliable signs of an online college's quality, employers generally prefer regional accreditation, which is typically perceived as more rigorous. Prospective students can check whether an accreditor is regional or national on the department or council's website.
Check the Online School's Institutional Accrediation History
While it's not particularly common, "Even good schools can sometimes do things, or have things happen, that may jeopardize their accreditation,.“ It can't hurt to look at a school's institutional accreditation history on the department or council sites, though that information isn't available for every one.
Identify Your Discipline Requires Programmatic Accrediation ď ˝
Depending on the field, employers – or other schools, should a student pursue a higher-level degree – might prefer that an online degree program also has specialized, or programmatic, accreditation. Prospective students might view the list of recognized agencies to get a sense of whether programmatic accreditation is common in their industry.
Verify the Programmatic Accreditors ď ˝
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Prospective students might check a potential online degree program's website for its specialized accreditation. If necessary, they should then verify that the accreditor is recognized by the department or council. If programmatic accreditation information isn't listed, they can again search for the school and program directly on the department or council website, or contact the institution to learn more.
Who Am I‌. ď ˝
NWAC Board is the well recognized regional accreditation agency which specializes for post secondary degree institution in the seven state regions that are served by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.