Regionally Accredited Online Schools

The decision to return to school in order to further your education is not an easy task. Knowing what to look for in regionally accredited online schools is an important part of the decision making process. When making a determination on the best online college, you should keep in mind that when it comes to accreditation, there are three different types.

1) Three types of accreditation:

• Regional Accreditation is less expensive that national, but they also have restrictions that apply when trying to transfer credits from other universities or colleges.
• National Accreditation tuition tends to run higher than regional, but they offer credit transfers from all universities and colleges.
• Specialized Accreditation is used to accredit a certain departments or program. This is different from national or regional that offers accreditation for the whole school.

There are many regional accredited online universities or colleges that offer a variety of learning options both on-site and online. Regionally accredited online schools provide various online learning options for both online and on-campus classes.

2) Top rated regionally accredited online schools:

• Liberty University is the largest Christian Evangelical University. They believe in a foundation of Christian values and offer a variety of degree programs including Religion. They are the largest non-profit online university in America and have over 50,000 online students. They have the lowest tuition rates and offer help with financial aid for all students.
• Kaplan University was founded in 1937 and is a ranked among the top regionally accredited online schools by the Higher Learning Commission and is a recognized member of North Central Association. They are also accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council. Kaplan University offers several degree programs including Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Doctoral, and several certificate programs.

Regionally Accredited Online Schools

• University of Phoenix was founded in 1979 and is also regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a current member of North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. They also offer several degree programs in science, accounting, business, management, business administration, human resources, computers and IT, criminal justice, arts and religion, and information technology.
• Capella University was founded in 1991, and is also regionally accredited by the Higher learning Commission and a current member of North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. They are formally alliance with over 100 corporations and offer both online and on-site degree programs. These programs include business, criminal justice, education, social work, psychology, public safety, human resources, project management, public administration, and technology.
• American Intercontinental University Online offers degree programs in business, design, healthcare, visual communication, information technology, marketing, criminal justice, and more. There are student financing programs including benefits to military personnel, and student financial aid is available to international student as well. American Intercontinental University also offers accelerated degree programs that students can finish in as little as 12 months with credit transfer and other factors.

3) How do you determine if the college is one of the regionally accredited online schools?

A online college receives regional accreditation only if the college is recognized by one of the six accrediting agencies that is recognized by the Commission of Higher Education and the US Department of Education. These six agencies are:

• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement

You should ensure that you are only enrolling in regionally accredited online schools or one of the other accreditation classifications. Regional and national accreditations are the basic requirements a college or university needs in order to participate in state and federal student financial aid programs.