If you’re interested in pursuing an online degree or certificate, you have a wide variety of classes and programs from which to choose. Online offerings have been growing in numbers, enrollment and perception. These days, there are also scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid available to help pay the tuition.
This money is available largely because of accreditation, a 2001 report from the American Council on Education Center for Policy Analysis and EDUCAUSE suggests. The federal government, which is considered the largest source of financial aid in the country, looks upon accreditation as a sign that colleges, universities and technical schools offer students a quality education that merits financial aid, according to the Council on Education-EDUCAUSE report. A U.S. Department of Education pilot program years ago apparently helped the government to realize the potential of online college, university and technical school programs.
Online colleges, universities, and technical schools can be accredited by national or regional agencies, but that doesn’t mean that the Department of Education recognizes these agencies. When accrediting online colleges, universities and technical schools, agencies with the nationally recognized Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions consider areas such as interactivity, student services and having trained faculty – areas that have studies have shown to be associated with quality and successful online studies. The U.S. Department of Education has also updated its guidelines, in part to ensure also that schools verify a student’s identity and make sure the student who enrolls is the same one who receives academic credit.
“Diploma mills” or “degree mills,” as they’re known, have been a problem, reportedly selling degrees for a flat fee. According to Wisconsin State Senator Fred Risser, the problem is “increasing”. Risser in May announced a newly crafted law prohibiting the establishment of degree mills in Wisconsin. Many other states have passed similar laws, the announcement from his office noted.
U.S. Congressman Timothy H. Bishop of New York has proposed cracking down on diploma and accreditation mills, a January report in the Chronicle of Higher Education noted. The Federal Trade Commission in 2005 issued a guide to help businesses avoid hiring people with fake degrees. The Department of Education, which cautions students against diploma mills, maintains a list of accredited schools and recognized accreditation agencies on its web site.
Up until 2006, however, federal law denied grants and loans to students attending colleges and universities with more than half of all students and programs online, a Chronicle of Higher Education article noted. The restrictions were part of what was known as a “50 Percent Rule”, established in an effort to curb the growth of fraudulent diploma mills and correspondence schools, according to a 2005 Inside Higher Education report. That problem was illustrated in 2004 when Colby Nolan, a pet cat, reportedly earned an executive MBA online for less than $400.
Colby was accepted into the online degree program after his application, filed by investigators, claimed he had taken community college classes and worked as a baby sitter, reports show. The kitty reportedly graduated with a 3.5 grade point average — and a worthless degree. An attorney general’s office reportedly sued the company that awarded it for fraud.
Around the same time, federal officials apparently came to see the value of legitimate online colleges, universities and vocational schools. As part of a demonstration program, financial aid restrictions for participating online institutions were eased, higher education access improved and online education enrollment significantly increased, according to an Education Department report mentioned in the Inside Higher Education article. Institutions with more than 5,000 students in the 2003-2004 academic year cited that as many as 79 percent of their students qualified for graduate school scholarships, the Inside Higher Education piece noted. The Department of Education suggested expanding the program to include more online institutions and recommended that the 50 percent rule be eliminated, according to the article. Government representatives agreed, with one saying the laws were out of touch with student needs of the 21st century, the article noted.