If we were all in high school we'd probably think about picking a major first and then finding a school that carried that degree. Non-traditional students, however, usually don't have the freedom of relocating to go to school so have to look at local colleges and online schools.
First lets look at online colleges as opposed to brick and mortar (B&M) schools. I have never come across an online college that wasn't outrageously expensive and, more importantly, has respectable accreditation. For example, I was recently asked about a college, one that advertises on television. The person had already talked to admissions there and was told they were accepted and could get financial aid for their tuition. Sounds good, right? Well it didn't take much digging to find out that the cost for the program, $15,000.00, had to be paid up front and was non-refundable, whether the student completed the program or not. Problem number two was the program resulted in a certificate, not a degree, and the classes taken were non-transferable to other schools. Third problem, the financial aid was actually a loan with the school, not a federal student loan, at an interest rate of 16%, as opposed to the current 7% for federal student loans. Fourth problem, a google search of the school found hundreds of complaints about the quality of the education. Fifth problem, the school had only local accreditation, not regional or national. The person found that their community college offered the same program, for a lot less money, and enrolled there instead.
Unfortunately this is not uncommon with online colleges. When the R&D company I worked for was down to less than ten employees the owner decided to rent out half of the building. The tenant ended up being an online college that only offered a masters degree in computer security. It was owned by a group of people in Singapore who opened six offices in the southwest United States. They got state accreditation only and required the $20,000.00 fee upfront. The student could then complete the program at their own pace. Even though they only opened their doors in 2008, had minimal accreditation, were very expensive, and offered only one degree, they had over 500 students signed up in their first year. I don't know how the other offices were staffed but the one in Albuquerque only had six people so I suspect that student support was minimal.
Now don't confuse online colleges with online classes. Almost all brick & mortar colleges now offer some classes online, some offer entire degree programs online. B&M schools are, for the most part, legitimate (more about that in another post) and online classes are convenient for students and instructors. Online colleges are essentially diploma mills e.g. you pay money and they give you a certificate or a degree, the education isn't a priority for them. There are probably a few that are valid but I've never heard of any. Then again, there are thousands of them out in the ethernet so it's impossible to know them all. If anyone knows of one, feel free to leave a comment.
When considering an online college, or any college for that matter, look at the following:
- Accreditation - is the college accredited, and if so, what type does it have? Has it ever had it's accreditation pulled or been put on probation?
- Tuition & Fees - does the college charge by the course, or hour, or does it charge one flat rate for the program? If financial aid is involved, who is the lender and what is the interest rate and terms of payment?
- Are credits earned transferable to other schools? TVI, for example, has in the small print of its TV ads that credits earned are not transferrable to other schools. This means a student is not only tied to that school to finish the program but it calls into question why the credits won't transfer.
- Does the college offer student services that help a graduate write a resume and find a job, and does it disclose the percentage of graduates that are able to find work in their fields.
- What other student services are offered?
Since this is the information age the answer to most of these questions, and many others, should be available on the college's web site. If the school provides minimal information that could be a red flag. A google search can also provide answers.
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