Online Education Resources

Accreditation Answers

To ensure that your academic experience is of the highest quality, all degree programs listed on WorldWideLearn are associated with universities and colleges that have approved accreditation. We also partner with a wide variety of renowned career schools which offer technical and professional training.

Students must understand the importance of accreditation and the dangers of receiving a degree from a school without accreditation.

Therefore, as the #1 e-learning resource on the Web, we strive to provide pertinent and up-to-date information on accreditation in the world of online learning. This section of our comprehensive, informative site serves that end.

The purpose of accreditation is to:

• 1. Use standards of evaluation to ensure quality education
• 2. Encourage institutions to improve quality of education
• 3. Ensure the accountability of educational institutions
• 4. Provide public confidence in educational institutions

What should you know about accreditation?

We list only e-learning programs associated with universities and colleges that have approved accreditation. When assessing the quality of an educational institution, students should know about the institution's accreditation status.

We list only e-learning programs associated with universities and colleges that have approved accreditation. When assessing the quality of an educational institution, students should know about the institution's accreditation status.

Accreditation status is provided by accrediting bodies, which are private, nongovernmental organizations that have been created specifically to review higher education institutions and programs. These accreditors are reviewed for quality by entities such as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE).

The accreditation process ensures the review of a school's faculty, recruiting practices, admissions procedures, course content, and more. Influenced and affected by the role of accreditors, schools are accountable for continually working to improve the quality and results of the education they provide.

Why should you care about accreditation?

Enrolling in an e-learning program with accreditation is important for:

• Federal Financial Aid
  CHEA states that in the United States, "students who want federal (and sometimes state) grants and loans need to attend a college, university, or program that is accredited." This is also true for e-learning and online education.
• Credit Transfer
  To transfer credits to an accredited school, your credits must come from a school with accreditation.
• Employment
  Employers often look for proof that their job applicants have received a degree from an academic program with accreditation. Often, job applicants are not eligible for employment, and employees are not eligible for advancement, if their degree is not from an accredited school.

Be confident about the accreditation of the e-learning program you choose.

Information you need about accreditation:

• The importance of accreditation: What does accreditation mean to you?
• Types of accreditation
• The accreditation process and benefits of accreditation
• US and regional accreditation
• US National Accreditation Association
• US Specialized / Professional Accrediting Associations
• Accreditation in Canada
• Accreditation in the UK
• Accreditation in Europe
• Accreditation in Australia
• International accreditation
• Dangers of degrees without accreditation