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| Accredited Correspondence Schools | Accredited correspondence schools are learning institutions that have been assessed by an accrediting organization for standards, guidelines and policies with reference to academic quality.
Previous to enrolling in any of the distance learning programs it is very significant to make sure a school is accredited. Nowadays there are numerous diploma mills that offer degrees not even worth the paper they are printed on, and these are in general correspondence schools, sometimes with only a PO Box as an address.
The fact is that with diploma mills, certification or credential that they provide you with for a sometimes large fee will not be accepted by employers, state licensing agencies or even by other schools. You may avoid the danger of paying for an insignificant diploma by attending accredited correspondence schools.
If you are attempting to get federal grants or loans for tuition expenses, it is necessary to look for accredited correspondence schools. This is true for some state financial aid programs too. Employer tuition compensation programs frequently require that the school be accredited. In order to get a state license in some professional fields, school accreditation is necessary. It is always safest to enroll in accredited correspondence schools or educational programs.
 Accreditation information on colleges and universities and on accrediting organizations is provided by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Seventeen of these accrediting organizations evaluate distance learning schools. The CHEA proposes that you contact the administrators of the facility you are thinking about and ask for their accreditation credentials; date accreditation received, date of last review, name of accrediting organization, and so on.
If it is not one of the accredited correspondence schools, the CHEA advises that you ask about the transferability of credits and courses to other colleges or universities and the receiving of credits and courses by licensing bodies and employers.
There are sometimes explanations for a lack of accreditation, since the accreditation process is a long one, so it may not be needed to rule out a school that is not one of the accredited correspondence schools listed by the CHEA or another accrediting organization. But you should be sure to get references from prior students, faculty, employers in your field or state licensing boards.
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