In March 2011, Vice President, Joe Biden made a call to action to improve college graduation rates nationwide. The Vice President, who is making affordability and accessibility in education a top priority, emphasized the importance of ongoing student support in order to boost graduation rates. Prospective students can improve their own odds by setting standards now, so that the colleges they choose, meet their expectations.

Do you know what your standards are? If not, consider putting together a checklist based on the following criteria:

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With numerous accrediting bodies in the world today, understanding what accreditation means to you is almost as important as deciding on the right college. Are you experiencing accreditation overload? Read these five tips and let accreditation guide—not derail—your college search.

   1.  Know what accreditation really means.

Accreditation is the voluntary process a public or private educational institution uses to verify, through a third-party evaluation, that it meets specific academic standards. Some view it as a stamp of approval. That’s only partially true. What if the standards of the accrediting agency are different from another?

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Still not sure that online learning is right for you? Besides careful consideration and weighing your options, there are a few key ways to know that getting a degree through your computer is the best option for you and your future.

Keep these pointers in mind when surfing the web for schools:

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By: Mary Jackson

Along with the growing popularity of obtaining online bachelor degrees, many bogus schools have cropped up to cash in, taking advantage of potential students seeking a genuine education to maintain their current level of employment, or achieve specific career goals. Unfortunately, the sales pitch attracts many students who do not possess the time, or the finances, to gain a college education. The main selling points may include easy graduation, no tests or end of semester exams, credit for life experiences, and lower tuition fees. Some diploma mills even have the audacity to make money through bulk emails offering to sell university degrees.

So, how do prospective students determine whether an online college is accredited or only offering bogus online bachelor degrees? Especially for International students, it can be very difficult to determine a school’s validity. In most cases it is impossible for distance learners to visit the campus, so the website is the only point of contact before making the choice and enrolling, which makes it hard to determine credibility.

One of the best ways to determine credibility is to pay close attention to how the credentials are stated. For example, if an educational institution claims to have nationwide or worldwide accreditation, without revealing which government agency provided the accreditation, it’s possible the college or university probably does not possess the necessary seal of approval to provide legitimate online bachelor degrees.

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