Transferring Non-Accredited College Work is Now Almost Impossible
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Not one non-accredited institution currently in America will easily find an accredited institution of higher learning accepting their credits. Permitting a transfer student the ability to matriculate for a higher degree by resting on their work from a non-accredited school or transfer of previous work to gain entrance to finish a degree is becoming close to impossible. Exceptions do exist and they are non-accredited professional schools in law, health science, criminal justice, psychology and medicine, either in the US or, as often the case, located in a foreign jurisdiction.
This American elitist attitude is a recent scenario brought about by pressure primarily from member schools of the six US Department of Education’s approved private regional accrediting agencies. Up until 2003, a degree from a non-accredited, but state licensed university, offering degrees and domiciled in such states as California, for example, found institutions throughout the accredited world accepting their students transfer credit.
Regional accreditation has been referred to as the "gold standard." It provides the perception a program is legitimate. It is neither the gold standard nor the end-all of the debate. This myth is the fabrication of several that would wish to make it so. The Internet and the explosion in new pedagogical developments may well crush this myth before it ever seriously takes hold.
Before enrolling in any college ask if the credit earned will permit you to transfer to any university. If not, what restrictions might apply. The purpose is simple. With college tuition into five figures in most states in America and at least that much or more internationally, it is imperative that a prospective student determine the options for graduate school and beyond.
When it comes to transfer credits, online universities have all the same criteria as if it were an on-ground school. Attempts to take a shortcut do not work in this scenario since all online programs must be measured by the same criteria as that of an on-ground experience.
What most students are misled to believe is that if a school is accredited, say by one of the six regional or three national private agencies approved by the US Department of Education, they presume credits are interchangeable and transferable. This is pure fantasy. If, for example, one acquires a degree from a small liberal arts college and the school is accredited, transferring those credits to a graduate program at another accredited school is not automatically assured. It is not guaranteed.
Fred DiUlus, Founder & CEO of Global Academy Online, Inc,, is a pioneer online education authority and the author of the premier online university ratings book THE BEST & WORST ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS.
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