Accreditation is reviewing the quality of education available in various institutions. In our country, this method is the perfect way for students, parents, and the government to find out if the education that is being provided is of top quality or not.

The colleges and accredited online universities in the USA are recognized by one of the 19 institutions which accredit the organizations. The programs in the organizations are accredited by one of the 60 recognized institutions.

These accrediting organizations are reviewed for quality by the CHEA / United States Department of Education (USDE). Students and parents make sure that both the program and the institutes are recognized.

Accreditation is voluntary and no college or university is pursued accreditation. The entire educational institution is evaluated which means: how the institutions are administered and governed; it’s financial stability; admissions; institutions and its resources, student programs and services, the institute’s success story; the institute’s relationship with other outside institutes and organizations. Specialized accreditation of programs is done by professional organizations.

Students who want to study at the accredited online universities need to make sure both the institutions and program are accredited before choosing and joining an institution. You can check with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s website. You can also ask your friends, co-workers and other family members who have attended college or know of someone who has gone to an accredited online university. If a school or a program is not accredited, it may have a negative effect on the degree which may turn out to be worthless. You may be wasting your time, money and energy.

Online students should not feel any different from normal on-campus students because being an online student requires a lot of hard work and independence if they want to succeed. An online student has important resources at hand including the university catalog. Check the information for the academic calendar which states that the average age of students is 34 and over 81% are working, have families etc. Managing time gets difficult and hence students drop out of college. Make use of the academic calendar, they give information about start and end dates, exams, breaks, financial aid and various requests. These can help you manage your time and money too.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is an organization that combines your work and personal experience. Get guidance on which field of study you are fit for. The program listing has information like general program descriptions, delivery format, program admission, exam policies, and graduation requirements.

A huge part of the college catalog is course description; a number of credits the course is worth, and the prerequisites required.