college online?

Question

i've looked into taking some classes online for a bachelors...the thing is, i dont know how to check out the school to make sure its not bogus before i enroll and start putting money into this. the school i'm interested in is kaplan university online, he said a bunch of believeable stuff over the phone, but how do i make sure this school isnt just trying to take my money and give me a diploma that i wont be able to use? any help or suggestions is appreciated! thanks!

Answer 1

Congratulations on thinking about furthering your education, you won't regret it.

Kaplan University is accredited. You can check accreditation of any school at the U.S. Department of Education website at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/search.asp

However, I do urge you to research other schools before committing to Kaplan. Kaplan is one of the many for-profit, private universities. Their primary goal is to make a profit. In many instances, this means their tuition costs are higher than state, non-profit schools. For example, Kaplan tuition is $320 per quarter credit hour, this is equal to approximately $477 per semester credit hour. A typical college course would cost you $1431 in tuition and books. Fort Hays State University charges $137 per semester credit hour. A typical college course would cost $411 in tuition. We'll add in books at $200 for the course and Fort Hays would only cost $611 per course. Less than half what Kaplan charges.

You didn't specify in what field you wanted your bachelor's degree. So I am just going to provide a brief list of schools that may have something you are interested in.

http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/
http://www.peru.edu/offuttafb/degreeprograms/onlinelearning.htm
http://outreach.uwyo.edu/ocp/
http://www.distance.msstate.edu/
http://www.distancelearning.ufl.edu/degrees.aspx
http://www.apu.apus.edu/index.htm
http://www.online.uillinois.edu/
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ode/CollegeOverview.asp
http://worldcampus.psu.edu

I'm not saying you shouldn't go to Kaplan. If Kaplan is the only place you can find a particular degree program that interests you, by all means go. I'm only suggesting that you try and save yourself some money.

Finally, there are a couple of forums online with members who have obtained their degrees online. Some have gone pretty far with their online degrees. The forums are free to join but you can read the forum without joining. You just won't be able to post. http://forums.degreeinfo.com and http://www.instantcertonline.com/forums

Good luck

Answer 2

One factor to help you to determine whether or not an institution provides quality education is accreditation (which will also qualify you for federal financial aid).
http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg4.html#Diploma-Mills

"The U.S. Secretary of Education recognizes those agencies determined to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. Accreditation of an institution or program by a recognized accrediting agency provides a reasonable assurance of quality and acceptance by employers of diplomas and degrees.

The Department believes that the list will be a helpful tool for employers evaluating education credentials and for consumers making decisions about postsecondary institutions to attend. Consumers are encouraged to do additional research on institutions before making a selection of a school, checking, for example, on the transferability of credits between institutions, the availability of financial aid, etc."

Kaplan is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission. You can find their accreditation record here:
http://www.ncahlc.org/index.php?option=com_directory&Itemid=192&Action=ShowBasic&instid=1586

Here's the school profile from Peterson's (linked from the accreditation site):
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/InstVC.asp?inunid=5099&sponsor=1


Good luck.