The term “accredited” has been sported by many online institutions and is one of those key words that students look for when choosing online universities. However, how much do really understand by the term accredited and what are the responsibilities that come with the term? Even without knowing the definition of the term its existence have significant influence on the value of your online degree and how much it is accepted by the wider employment community.

What is Accreditation?

The term accreditation refers to an accepted standard that must be met by online universities to be associated with a particular standard. These standards will vary on the type and level of courses and the stipulation established by state educational boards and peers. It is used to give an insight into aspects such as the level of instructors, amount and type of financial assistance available for students and how much assistance the university receives from industry contributors. These contributions may be in the form of technology, financing or placements for graduates.

The Accreditation Debate

It is a fact that not all online universities have received accreditation from any of the many accreditation agencies set up to regulate the educational standards of online universities. There is currently a heated debate on how to weight online universities when compared to traditional universities. Supporters of online universities suggest that online universities provide the same education as traditional instructions and thus should receive the same accreditation. On the other hand, supporters of tradition institutions lament the fat there is no direct contact between students and doctors and so the student loses some amount of influence.

In the interim as the debate continues, the Department of Education have appointed agencies in six regions to act as accreditation bodies that spans across state borders to accommodate the various types of online universities.

How to know if your University is accredited?

The US department of Education does not itself accredit online universities. The task of accrediting online universities is delegated to regional bodies that are strategically located to cover the spans of the United States. These regional agencies have established guidelines as dictated by the secretary of education, industry players and their peers. They carry out various forms of assessments to ensure online universities adhere to the established standards. These may come in the form of tracking student complaints, checking of course work material and monitoring of university accounts.

To check on the accreditation of a particular online college, students can visit one of the many websites set up buy accreditation agencies. These include a database established by the US Department of Education @ http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx where students simply enter the name and location of the university to gain accreditation information.

What to do if your University is not accredited?

If you conduct an accreditation search and found out that your online university is not accredited, the first to do is to contact your nearest state accreditation agency with jurisdiction over that states education affairs. There may be various reasons why any particular online university may not have gain accreditation. These include:

• The university is relative new and has not completed all their requirements that qualify them for accreditation. They will also on the progress the university is making towards accreditation.
• The accrediting agency has received overwhelming complaints about the conduct of the university. As a result, their accreditation has been suspended pending improvements.