May 24, 2013

Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for good places to pursue online degrees

Online College Background Check

April 27, 2012 By 2 Comments

Online college is a great alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar schools for students with busy, demanding lives. More popular now than ever before, distance learning programs make higher education possible for everyone from stay-at-home-moms to students working two jobs to pay the bills to learners who do their best with minimal supervision and stringency in scheduling. Before you enroll in any online college program, don’t forget to do a thorough background check of the school to be sure you’re getting the most for your money – and time – and your chosen college will get you to where you plan to go.

Is Your College Accredited?

One of the most important things to be sure of before you do any class selections or pay any tuition bills is that the school you have selected is accredited. This means that your college has been recognized by an accreditation board as a quality school with reputable programs, resources, faculty, and staff. Accredited schools are recognized by the United States Department of Education; those that have not earned accreditation have not been evaluated (or approved) by an accrediting commission and as such, are not guaranteed to have resources and programs available to you that you need to be successful as a student and earn a quality education. Be certain of your school’s status before you enroll so as to waste no time or money on schooling that will not aptly prepare you for you future career. Additionally, employers will be curious of your training and preparation for any position you apply for, and whether or not your online college is accredited will matter.

Does Your College Offer Your Major?

Not all schools, offline or online, offer all programs. Certain schools are restricted to liberal arts, some are best to attend for math and sciences, and many simply do not have the resources or faculty to reach all types of students. In online schools it is especially important to ensure this before enrollment. Though distance learning programs are offered in most fields, many online colleges offer a less varied selection of majors than a traditional school. Save yourself time and tuition by making sure you can study your preferred subject at your school before making any commitments. If it turns out the online college you’re in does not offer your major, you’ll have a tough decision to make down the line: switching schools or switching your major.

Are Students Successful at This School?

When everything else checks out, it’s important to familiarize yourself with certain rates of student success at your online college. Some research on the website may help you find your answers, or you can speak to someone in the college’s administrative offices for the information you need. Your school should be able to identify such things as student retention rates, graduation rates, and the rate of student employment upon graduation. All of these figures can tell you a great deal about the experiences of students similar to you in the school, and may give you an inside look into your prospective future. These figures can also help demonstrate the effectiveness of the school’s academic programs and help you to see if an education from this school will help to set you up for a successful future and career.

Filed Under: Online College FAQ's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Getting Started with an Online College

February 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

So you’ve made the decision to get your higher education online. That’s one huge step out of the way! Now that you have decided to make the commitment to get your degree through an online college or university, there are a few more things to check off the to-do list before you can jump in with both feet. The following are things you should be sure to take into consideration before handing over any money or picking out classes.

Make Sure it’s the Right Time

College, either in-person or online, is a huge time commitment and will require a large amount of your energy and attention while school is in session. And even with all the available financial aid out there, it’s going to affect your wallet too. But a commitment is a commitment, and the commitments you make to yourself and your education are among the most important ones in your life. Before shelling out money on tuition and textbooks, and rearranging your life to accommodate classes, be sure that you are in a position to stick to your commitments. It will be difficult at times, to be sure, but if you feel like you’d be tempted to drop out or not give it your all, you’re robbing yourself of the opportunities you’ve worked toward. Be ready to commit your time and attention.

Pick the Right School

Getting your education from an online college or university has many advantages over going to a traditional school. You can tailor your class schedule and work time to fit your schedule or personal life and still get a quality education. But there’s no campus for you to visit, no one to interview you for acceptance, and just about anyone can build an official-looking website. It is of the utmost importance that you research your online schools and be sure that the one you select is an accredited college or university. You can begin your search right here, and narrow down to a top few schools with good research. Online colleges’ websites should offer you all the information you need about their accreditation, faculty and staff, procedures, and programs. You need to know these things about every school you’re considering. After researching, you should be able to narrow it down further by exploring their tuition and fees schedules as well as majors, minors, and certification programs they offer.

Make Sure They Have Your Major

Though this problem is becoming less and less frequent in recent years, there’s nothing worse for a college-bound student than to fall in love with a school, only to realize that it does not support their field of study. If you know what you want to major in, or have an inclination toward one field or another, be sure you can get a good education in your subject at whatever college or university you choose. Some colleges are known for their programs’ strength in specific fields, and some notorious for their lacking in another. Be sure whatever college you attend will allow you to study what you like and will provide you with a quality education in the field of your choosing. Otherwise, you’ll quickly find out how much time and money you’ve wasted, and that transferring credits is not always easy.

Filed Under: Online College FAQ's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top Ten Online Colleges and Universities

January 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

Attending the Top Ten Online Colleges and Universities

Top online colleges and universities as well as public and private brick and mortar postsecondary schools offer distance learning programs in a variety of courses.  You can also complete your entire undergraduate and/or graduate degrees by attending online accredited schools.  Despite the fact that many schools offer rigorous academic courses, professors having licenses and/or in-depth working experiences in the subjects they teach, only a few schools earn the status of being top colleges and universities.

U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review are some periodicals that list top US colleges and universities.  School information reviewed by these periodicals includes:

  • Student enrollment (breakdown by male and female student populations)
  • Undergraduate and/or graduate programs available for students to register for and take
  • Costs of tuition
  • Percentage of college admissions applications accepted by the school
  • Financial aid offered and/or accepted by the school
  • Amount of endowments associated with the school
  • Academic calendar (e.g. semester, quarter) the school operates on
  • Number of years the school has been in operation (founded date for the school)
  • Minimum college entrance examination test scores (e.g. SAT, ACT) accepted by the school
  • Student survey responses (feedback that students provide about the school)
  • Administrative services offered at the school

Ranking of Top 10 Largest Online Schools

When it comes to online postsecondary schools, academics and student services can help determine how valuable the school’s offerings are.  Some popular online schools also enroll large numbers of students.  According to U.S. News and World Report, the top 10 largest online colleges and universities are:

  • University of Phoenix (founded in 1976 with approximately 380,232 students)
  • Kaplan University (founded in 1937 with approximately 70,011 students
  • Strayer University (founded in 1982 with approximately 54,325 students)
  • Ashford University (founded in 1918 with approximately 46,835 students)
  • Liberty University (founded in 1971 with approximately 46,312 students)
  • Walden University (founded in 1970 with approximately 40,714 students)
  • University of Maryland – University College (founded in 1947 with approximately 37,347 students)
  • Grand Canyon University (founded in 1949 with approximately 34,205 students)
  • Capella University (founded in 1993 with approximately 31,998 students)

Top Black colleges and universities such as Spelman College, Morehouse College, Hampton University, Tuskegee University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Fisk University and Claflin University are also ranked in publications like U.S. News and World Report.  Keep in mind that some of these schools, including the top 100 colleges and universities, also offer on-campus, classroom courses which might help to increase their overall student enrollment population.  Furthermore, top schools are generally accredited institutions of higher learning, a factor that may further help to establish the schools’ credibility.

Publications and organizations that review top colleges universities do the hard work of examining factors such as the schools tuition costs, student activities and course offerings so you don’t have to.  If you use these resources to review the best schools you can narrow the numbers of schools you want to enroll in after you graduate from high school or while you juggle work and your continuing education goals.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Top 20 List of Online Schools Based on Enrollment

January 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

Earn College Credits at Popular Online Schools

By using a list of colleges and universities you can review several schools offering online courses and degree programs in a short amount of time.  Some of the lists are affiliated with major publications like U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review, while other lists are created by organizations that support continuing education and academic achievement.

In addition to U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review, the United States Department of Education also list accredited schools offering online programs in their database which you can access free of charge.  Organizations and/or publications like College Board, Peterson’s, Online Education Database and Washington Monthly provide list of colleges and universities in Florida, list of colleges and universities in Georgia and other parts of the country.

Details provided in the lists include:

  • Numbers of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the schools
  • Dates that the schools were founded
  • Types of distance learning programs available at the schools (e.g. degree, certificate)
  • Location type for the schools (e.g. urban, rural)
  • Majors (e.g. engineering, nursing, law) the schools are known and/or highly regarded for
  • Tuition costs
  • Whether or not the schools accept financial aid, and if they do, the types of financial aid accepted at the schools
  • Religious affiliations the schools have, if they have any religious affiliations
  • Minimum college entrance test scores accepted at the schools
  • Whether or not the schools offer athletic programs that are recognized by organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and if so, the types of programs (e.g. football, basketball, track and field) offered

Large Online Schools You Can Enroll In

The top online colleges and universities based on student enrollment as reported by U.S. News and World Report are:

  • University of Phoenix (380,232 students)
  • Kaplan University (70,011 students)
  • Strayer University (54,325 students)
  • Ashford University (46,835 students)
  • Liberty University (46,312 students)
  • Walden University (40,714 students)
  • University of Maryland-University College (37,347 students)
  • Grand Canyon University (34,205 students)
  • Capella University (31,998 students)
  • American Public University System (31,331 students)

Another organization providing a list of colleges and universities in New York, a list of colleges and universities in Virginia and other states, schools with large student enrollments, is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).  The NCES reports additional schools with student populations that provide distance learning programs include:

  • Arizona State University (68,040 students)
  • Miami Dade College (59,120 students)
  • Ohio State University (55,014 students)
  • Houston Community College (54,942 students)
  • University of Central Florida (53,401 students)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (51,659 students)
  • University of Texas at Austin (50,995 students)
  • University of Florida (50,691 students)
  • Texas A&M University (48,702 students)
  • Michigan State University (47,071 students)

Trying to find the online school that’s right for you may feel like a daunting task until you familiarize yourself with a list of colleges and universities providing you with specific details about each school mentioned in the list.  Rather than visiting colleges and universities in person or telephoning administrators at several online schools, consider taking the time to review the lists so you can find out schools offering the best tuition rates, student activities and distance learning credit and/or degree programs in subjects you’re most interested in majoring in.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Online College Search Tips

December 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

Search for a College That Fits Your Needs

The numbers of colleges and universities in the United States exceeds 2,000.  Over the last several years many of these schools have begun offering online courses and degree programs.  Understanding what to look for as you conduct your colleges and universities search may save you hours of time.

If you want to combine online courses with classroom courses, as you conduct your college university search review postsecondary schools that offer on-campus and virtual courses.  You might see these courses referred to as blended courses.  Tools you can start your online college search with include:

  • U.S. News and World Report college rankings
  • Princeton Review college rankings report
  • Peterson’s college database
  • College Board database

The United States Department of Education also list accredited colleges and universities in its database.  Many of these schools are authorized to accept financial aid from government programs.  Enrolling in accredited schools listed with the Department of Education is one way you can increase your chances of securing federal financial aid through programs like the Federal Stafford Student Loan and/or PELL grant.

As you’re conducting your online college search, jot down notes about public and/or private colleges and universities you’re interested in attending.  For example, you could collect information on in-state and out-of-state schools including the costs of tuition, scholarships offered by the schools, numbers of undergraduate students enrolled in the schools, whether or not the schools offer graduate programs in subjects you’re interested in majoring in and the types of distance learning courses available for you to take at the schools.

Additional College and University Search Resources

It’s also important that you find out if the schools offer programs or student support services like:

  • Career counseling
  • Enrollment counselors
  • Student tutoring
  • Mentoring programs
  • Financial counseling or financial advising
  • Academic advising

Through career counseling and academic advising programs you can learn about internships, work/study programs and career fairs you can register to participate in.  If you take advantage of career counseling services you might land jobs before you graduate, helping you to meet employers’ two pronged job hiring requirement (education and work experience).  Bottom line, search for schools that support your educational and post graduation efforts.  After all, college is expensive.  The more support top schools give you to join the employment ranks, earn top wages and work in fields you’re passionate about, the better.

Other sources you can use to learn more about online and offline colleges and universities are:

  • Cultural education organizations (e.g. United Negro College Fund, cultural alliances)
  • Professionals associations (many members of professional associations graduated from top schools)
  • Alumni associations

In addition to using search engines and college ranking reports to conduct your colleges and universities search, you may be able to reach out to your high school counselors and ask them for their insights on schools offering curriculums that can best help you achieve your academic and career goals.  You can also ask your family members, friends and colleagues who are continuing their education for recommendations on top schools you can attend.  Thanks to the Internet, as someone searching for a quality institution of higher education, you can also visit college and university discussion forums, ask specific questions about the schools and read through feedback and comments made by students currently attending the schools.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Is Your Online College a Top Online School?

December 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

Not All Online Schools are Created Equal

Top online schools educate tens of thousands of students each year in a broad range of majors and disciplines.  Because these schools are generally accredited by regional and/or national accrediting agencies, academic credits earned at the schools are often transferrable to other private or public institutions of higher learning.

As the Internet continues to attract businesses, entrepreneurs and educators, it seems as if the numbers of colleges and universities offering distance learning courses is increasing.  In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that during the 2007-2008 school year, approximately 20 percent of undergraduate students took one or more distance learning courses.  Even when students take classroom courses, some professors allow the students to use the Internet to complete a portion of their assignments.

However, the growing popularity of distance learning has also seen unaccredited schools, sometimes referred to as diploma mills, cropping up on the Internet.  Getting degrees from these schools may not help you to land quality jobs that pay attractive salaries.  You also might not be able to transfer credits from these schools to highly regarded higher education institutions so you can earn advanced degrees.  These reasons make it important for you to do background checks on schools you’re thinking about enrolling at so you enroll in top rated online schools.

Learning More about Your Online College

To get started on your checks, you can review college rankings created by publications like the Princeton Review, Washington Monthly, the Wall Street Journal or U.S. News and World Report.  In addition to ranking brick and mortar schools, some publications and educational organizations list top 10 online schools.  Information reviewed about colleges and universities includes:

  • Accreditation reviews the schools have undergone and passed (e.g. Association for Biblical Higher Education, Commission on Accreditation, American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar)
  • Year the college or university was founded in
  • Numbers of undergraduate and/or graduate degree granting programs offered at the schools
  • Tools used to administer online college programs (e.g. video, Internet)
  • If the schools are affiliated with religious organizations
  • Student activities and organizations offered at the accredited colleges and universities

You can also visit a school’s official website to find out about the school’s minimum teaching and/or work experience requirements for professors who teach subjects at the school.  Top online colleges also generally assign you support services and help through academic advisors, financial advisors, enrollment advisors and career counselors.

It’s one thing to attend a college or university that’s popular or widely known.  However, if you want to get a quality and balanced education, an education that employers, recruiters and other academicians respect and value, conduct your due diligence steps and review colleges and universities before you enroll and pay your tuition.  This way you can increase your chances of attending top online schools, including top online business schools and top online MBA schools.  Remember to search factors like accreditations at colleges and universities, student enrollment demographics, popular majors at the schools and student graduation and employment percentages.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to Begin Your Online College Search

November 28, 2011 By 1 Comment

Start Your Online College Search Early

Before you go online to start your college search take advantage of offline resources available to you, resources like your high school guidance counselors, colleagues and relatives who’ve already attended college.  Touching base with these resources may help to decrease the amount of time it takes you to find the top three to five accredited colleges and universities you’d like to attend.  Knowing what you want to gain from attending college can also aid you in your college search.

If you’re still attending high school visit college fairs that your school hosts as several local accredited colleges and universities may likely attend the college fairs.  At college fairs you can talk face-to-face with professionals who work at the schools.   You can also pick up pamphlets and brochures on colleges and universities, written material providing you with information like how long the schools have been in operation, where the schools are headquartered, the numbers of students enrolled in the schools and awards or recognition the schools have received.  Get information on as many colleges and universities offering degrees in fields you want to work in.  This way you can increase your chances of being accepted into top schools.

When you start searching for schools using the Internet, pull up college and university rankings reports like U.S. News and World Report, Washington Monthly College Rankings and the Princeton Review.  Using these and other college ranking reports and databases you can conduct:

  • College search by state
  • College search by degree

Searching for Colleges and Universities Using Naviance and Other Tools

Furthermore, tools like Naviance Family Connection college search allow you to compile information on several colleges in one location.  Through Naviance you can also:

  • Create goals for college, including courses you want to take and student activities you want to participate in
  • Your parents can also access Naviance to learn about admissions requirements at colleges and universities you want to enroll at
  • Professionals affiliated with Naviance can also partner with you to ensure you remain motivated and on track to achieving your academic goals

You need to create a login and password to access Naviance.  Before registering for the program, consider creating a college search quiz so you’re prepared to ask questions like:

  • What types of jobs can I get by majoring in popular courses at certain colleges and universities (have a list of schools you’re interested in attending)?
  • How can I learn about financial aid offered at colleges and universities?
  • How long does it generally take students to receive undergraduate degrees from the schools?
  • What types of reports or documents do my high school guidance counselors have that I can receive to learn more about top colleges and universities?
  • What courses can I take in high school that may best prepare me to excel in my college major?

By using online college and university ranking reports, feedback you get from your high school guidance counselors, family members and colleagues who’ve attended college, you can learn detailed information about schools.  Should you want to transfer to an on-campus school, searching for colleges and universities that have both offline and online degree programs may make it easy for you to continue to take courses at schools you started out taking distance learning programs from.  You’re also encouraged to search for colleges and universities that are accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Filed Under: college online search, Online College FAQ's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

College Search Online

November 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

College Search Online Systems Helping College Students Learn

According to Internet World Stats, by 2010 hundreds of millions of people were using the Internet, many of them searching for facts, figures, articles and information using search engines.  Today people around the world use search engines to locate college search online information like enrollment, tuition costs, financial aid expenses and college student extracurricular activities.  Conducting college search online reviews of schools you’re interested in attending can shorten the time it could take you to find accredited postsecondary schools that best help you to gain the advanced education you want.

Finding Information You Need to Succeed at College

Peterson’s, College Board, US News and World Report and Princeton Review college overviews and/or rankings are some of the resources you can use to collect and review facts, interesting tidbits and course offerings available at accredited colleges and universities located throughout the United States.  Online college search engine efforts can quickly provide you with individual school data such as:

  • Whether or not the school is for-profit or not
  • Types of degrees and certifications awarded at the school (e.g. college diplomas, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, graduate degrees)
  • If the school accepts federal financial aid
  • Scholarships and grants the school provides directly to qualifying students
  • Distance learning courses and degree programs offered at the school
  • Minimum college entrance examination (e.g. SAT, ACT) scores required to get admitted to the school
  • Costs of tuition
  • Whether or not the college or university operates on a quarter or semester basis
  • Activities and organizations available for students to join and participate in
  • Accreditations the schools have
  • Student enrollment facts
  • Demographics of students enrolled at the school, including the percentage of men and women enrolled

After you narrow down the top three accredited colleges or universities you want to attend, consider visiting the schools in person.  Before you pack your bags and travel to the schools contact an administrator at the school and schedule a tour.  This way you can get an in-person feel or vibe for the school.  Should you decide not to take an in-person tour of the campus, jot down questions you may have about the school and telephone school administrators so you can get direct answers to your questions.  For example, you could ask the school administrators about the college’s:

  • Student graduation rate (if it’s not available using online resources)
  • Teacher to student classroom ratios
  • Licenses and degrees college professors are required to have to teach at the school
  • Percentage of students who get employed after graduating from the college or university (also ask how long it takes students to get hired in their degree field)

The benefits of conducting college searches online can extend beyond gathering enrollment, costs, degree subjects, etc.  By searching detailed information at individual school websites you can learn about policies, procedures, course offerings as well as find registration forms and applications you can use to get into programs like internships, clinical trials, advanced courses and work/study programs.

Filed Under: college online search Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Online Summer Courses

June 9, 2011 By 1 Comment

photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.netTaking online courses is a great way to be proactive about your education. Many of you are parents, employees, business owners, andrecent high school graduates. No matter where you fall in the categories, there is always room for improvement.

Following the normal semester schedule is always fine; you can never go wrong following the semesters. But, what if you were to mix things up a bit and take a summer course? Summer courses are great for many reasons:

1. The actual length of the course is shortened by more than half.

2. Professors don’t want to be teaching just as little as you want to be attending so they tend to me more lenient.

3. You get ahead on your credits.

4. You can save money if you take courses at another school with transferable credits and lower credit prices. But make sure to check with your current school before going ahead

Look on your school’s Web site to see what courses are offered over the summer and whether or not they fit into your curriculum. If you find that they do match, consider taking one or two. With those extra credits you can either take it easy one semester by taking fewer courses or you can continue full steam ahead and graduate early. The decision is yours; make it a good one!

Filed Under: Online College FAQ's, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Moms Clearly Choose College Online over Campus Settings

May 31, 2011 By 3 Comments

While it seems clear why stay-at-home-moms would choose to get their degrees online versus at a campus it is actually a recent phenomenon.   Considering the ease of use and the flexible scheduling the anytime education offers, it seems to be the logical choice for most moms.  What has happened is that the choices now available has led to a continued push for most moms to choose the online college format.

“I couldn’t believe how many choices I had,” said Jenny from NY.

“I thought there were only a few colleges who offered programs online, I had no idea there are hundreds,” said Tammy from Denver.

“From NY to Cali, and in fields from Education to Business, stay-at -home moms are finishing their degrees online,” said Pablo who oversees the hugely popular college destination www.college.com. Well, clearly it is a tidal shift and the masses have spoken.

Filed Under: Online College News, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts