Hi

Some online colleges are higher because you may have to pay higher technology fee costs or something similar. You also have to do more work than at a non-online school. Make sure that you complete any assignments on time, because it is very easy to fall behind in an online class.

There are a lot of online degree programs that are credible. If you do decide to enroll at an online university, make sure that it is an accredited university and that the accreditation agency is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Remember, just because a school states that it is accredited, does not mean that its accreditation agency is legitimate. Schools can make up their own accredition agencies and they can appear to be very legitimate. They will even use names that are similar to legitimate accreditation agencies to throw you off, so watch that as well. An example of one is Belford University. Belford University states that it is privately accredited. However, Belford University’s accreditation agency is NOT recognized by CHEA. ANY legitimate accreditation agency in the U.S. is recognized by CHEA, and there are no private accreditation agencies (well at least any legitimate ones). If you attend a college that is not accredited, future employers most likely will not recognize your degree. Here are some websites that will help you find online colleges:

http://www.elearners.com/

http://www.colleges.com/

Here is the CHEA website:

http://www.chea.org/default.asp

Here is some websites that will help you identify fake colleges:

http://www.online2college.com/online-college/fake-online-degree.html

http://www.geteducated.com/services/diplomamillpolice.asp

I hope this helps you and I wish you the best of luck.

Most of the time an employer will not know if you are taking online classes. And many top notch schools offer online classes and degree programs. Harvard, Columbia, and even Duke offer online classes and degree programs. The thing is to find a nonprofit schools that offers online degree programs and classes. Stay away from colleges that just operate online and have bad reputations. A degree should say online anywhere on your transcript or on your degree. I attended a state school and had courses online, no where on my transcript does it say those classes were online. I am also a current graduate student who is almost finished with an online degree and I am not worried about that either. As long as the college is reputable, accredited, you should be fine.

Some are credible and some are a waste of money.

Make sure the school is at least regionally accredited. One indicator is if you can get a Stafford loan the most common federal student loan. Unaccredited colleges can’t offer these loans. As the last poster said, don’t be fooled by names of “accrediting” bodies that sound official, they should be recognized by the US Dept of Education. Check with the state department of education to find out if a school is accredited.

The best bet is to go with a traditional university or college that has an online or distance program, like NYU, University of Montana, Calif. State University, etc.

Yes! Many brick and mortar colleges now offer online course! Although Finger Lakes Community College in New York state does not have an entirely online degree yet, there are lots of courses… check out www.flcc.edu.

Other colleges to check out: Herkimer Community College, Empire State College, and Phoenix (although I don’t know as much about them, and can’t really recommend them.)

Or just contact a college near you to find out what online courses/programs they offer.

Much luck! (Online courses require MORE work since you have to make up for not being in the classroom. They are more convenient though. You must be a driven, self-managing person to be successful in these programs.)

Online courses give students the opportunity to plan their study time around the rest of their day, instead of the other way around. Students can study and work when they are at their peak energy, whether that’s early morning or late at night. National Education Online Center works with thousands of accredited institutions nationwide to provide students from all walks of life with the information they need to make an informed decision regarding their educational future. Course material is always accessible online, so there’s no need to schedule special trips to a library either. All of this makes online learning a good option for students who need to balance their work and family commitments.

any online college will be better then traditional b/c traditional uses lecture-style course which is 98% inefficient:

the prof digresses, talks about things that will be never covered in tests, there’s distraction of other students doing things and asking silly questions.