The value of any degree should not be measured based exclusively on the institution you attend. With that said, and in other to give you an informed answer, I would need to know what your goals are once you finish the degree. But in general terms, the answer to your question is yes! A degree from Penn Foster or Grantham is worth it. Now, let me clarify a few misconceptions about distance learning (DL) schools in general. First, I disagree with the poster who claimed that Regional Accreditation is “better” than National Accreditation. It is not that one is better than the other; simply, they are different. Regional Accreditation focuses on the more traditional schools – your typical community college, your state university, for example, are Regionally Accredited. Some for-profit online schools, like University of Phoenix, Capella, and Northcentral are also Regionally Accredited.

National Accreditation, on the other hand, focuses on correspondence and online schools exclusively. The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), founded in 1926, is the largest national accrediting agency of distance education schools. Penn Foster College and Grantham are both accredited by DETC. It is also worth mentioning that DETC is recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

As for degree acceptance in the marketplace, the answer is also yes! Online education is becoming more mainstream. Many traditional schools are now offering online classes, and in many cases, entire degrees by DL. As more nontraditional students graduate and enter the labor pool, the perception of online degrees and distance education in general will continue to improve.

Second, getting a great education from for-profit schools is possible. Some people argue that the only way to obtain quality education is through a Community College or State University (not for-profit). However, my position is that many for-profit schools (as long as they are properly accredited), offer excellent, and in some cases superior education.

Case in point, my wife attends Penn Foster College. The academics, rigor, and quality are no different than what I have experienced at non-profit schools.

Finally, I’m the result of nontraditional education. All of my post-secondary education was obtained via DL and can report that I have never experienced any difficulties obtaining employment or upgrading at my current job. Furthermore, I am pursuing an MBA from a Nationally Accredited for-profit school and the quality of the education has been without reproach.

My advice to you is to look at your goals and pick a school that will fit your needs and that will offer the best value in terms of cost and quality.

Good luck

Any college you attend (online or onground) should be regionally accredited (The highest level). Grantham and Penn Foster are nationally accredited, which is a real, but lower level accreditation that may hurt you further down the line. It comes into play alot with licensing / certification. For example you would not be able to become a CPA or an RN in most states without Regional Accreditation.

I would look elsewhere.

No, you won’t be able to compete with computer science people from regular 4 year colleges. Employers also don’t look highly on internet schools, unless you want to stay at an entry-level, analyst type position.

Online college is okay if you have no other alternative. Often you’ll have a harder time and won’t get the same benefits you’d get for campus classes. But if you don’t have time and just need the certificates it okay, but not great.

Not at those “”schools””.

no