Getting a college degree requires time, effort and money and to cut corners, you might be tempted to get your degree through a mail-order or online program you see being advertised at the back of some tabloid. Hold your horses!



Indeed, online education is a viable option for those seeking an alternative to brick-and-mortar classes but you must do your due diligence and make sure that the distance learning school you are considering is accredited.

Accreditation ensures that the online institution is provides quality education and not some Mickey Mouse stuff you could learn in the third grade.

In the United States, accreditation involves non-governmental entities as well as governmental agencies.

Accrediting agencies are private educational associations of regional or national scope that develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether those criteria are met.

Institutions and/or programs that requests an agency's evaluation and subsequently meets that agency's criteria are then accredited by that agency.

Without this seal of approval what you will get after graduation is really a worthless piece of bond paper, not a bona fide degree.

So how can you tell the unscrupulous online colleges from the good ones? Here are some pointers:

1)Be wary of life experience courses. One of the warning signs of a bad school is if it claims to offer an accredited life experience degree without any classes or examinations. These could be a BA or an MBA. Don't be fooled. There is no such thing as an accredited degree that is based purely on life experience.

2)Check the accreditation agencies that they mention as many are usually non-existent and so getting their certificates are a waste of time and money.

If they are certified by the following agencies then they are not solely a diploma factory.

a) DETC: Distance Education and Training Council

b) MSA: Middle States Association

c) NCASC: North Central Association of Schools and

Colleges

d) NEASC: New England Association of Schools and

Colleges

e) NWCCU: Northwest Commission on College and

Universities

f) SACS: Southwest Association of Colleges and

Schools

g) WASC: Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Now, how do you check their accreditation? Well, you first ask the school.

Reputable schools will have no problems at all telling you if they are accredited. Moreover, they will tell you in what State they are accredited and which educational governing bodies have accredited them. To make extra sure, you can check with the institution itself that accredited them.

Still, some schools will try their very best to give the appearance of being accredited. They do this by using such words as "authorized", "legitimate" or "pursuing accreditation." Again, don't be taken in by this. Judge an online school by their association; not by their buildings, address or the persuasive advertisements they placed in the tabloids.

3)Another crucial thing to look out for is the online school's operating license. Every institution of higher learning must have a charter for operations in a particular state. If they don't have one, then they are operating illegally and most likely a fly-by-night. You need to steer clear of them also.

4)Applying for Federal Student Aid (FSA) Tuition Assistance can also help to validate an institution's credentials.

In order for a student to receive financial assistance to pay for his education,the school must petition the federal government and demonstrate its accreditation status in the first place. If the school isn't up to par, it won't qualify. So, if the government won't pay for you to go there, chances are there is a lack of accreditation.

The bottom line is that you are going to have to spend time, energy and money getting your degree. To ensure that you do not waste either of those things, check out the school first. Doing this will ensure that your school of choice is accredited before you enroll will save you a ton of heartache later.