How Can I Verify that an Online University is Accredited?
There are several ways to verify that an online university is accredited. Keep reading to learn about some of these options, and find out why accreditation is important.
<h3 id="section---HowToVerifyThatAnOnlineUniversityIsAccredited">How to Verify that an Online University is Accredited</h3>
<p>Accreditation indicates that a school meets certain educational standards. By verifying that an online university is accredited, you also have some assurance that your college credits should transfer to another accredited school, should you choose to do so.
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<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutAccreditedOnlineUniversities">Important Facts About Accredited Online Universities</h3>
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<table border="1"><tr><td>Degrees</td><td>Certificate, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, PhD</td></tr>
<tr><td>Degree Field</td><td>Online degrees are now available in almost any subject, including but not limited to: Chemistry, Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Economics</td></tr>
<tr><td>Certification</td><td>In order to become accredited, universities may apply to any one of the federally-recognized accreditation programs</td></tr>
<tr><td>Work Environment</td><td>Online</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---DistanceEducationAccreditingCommissionDEAC">Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)</h3>
<p>Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a national accrediting agency, DEAC is a private, nonprofit organization that exclusively accredits online schools. Through the DEAC website, you can search for accredited online schools by school name, type of school, state or country, and/or available topics of study.
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<h3 id="section---CollegeNavigator">College Navigator</h3>
<p>The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) maintains a database of around 7,000 accredited postsecondary institutions and programs on its College Navigator website. You can verify that an online university is accredited by entering the name of the school in the search engine. If the school appears in the search results, it's accredited by a recognized agency.
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<h3 id="section---CouncilForHigherEducationAccreditationCHEA">Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)</h3>
<p>As of 2015, the CHEA database listed more than 8,300 accredited postsecondary institutions. These schools are accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and/or CHEA, whereas College Navigator only includes schools accredited by USDE-recognized agencies.</p>