There are accredited online colleges that award Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees. More than 96 percent of the largest colleges and universities in the U.S offer online courses, according to a report by the Sloan Consortium. It is important to check if an online college is a real, accredited school or a diploma mill. To check the accreditation of online colleges go to the U.S. Department of Education database. The Sloan report states that almost 3.2 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2005 term. Students who attend online colleges can apply for financial aid from the Federal Government but only if the courses are a part of an associate’s, bachelor’s or graduate degree program. There are online colleges that are degree mills or diploma mills that offer diplomas on a fraudulent basis. These online colleges may offer degrees for a flat fee and require no course work. Other online colleges may claim to be accredited but are accredited by an unrecognized accrediting agency. However, there are credible online colleges that are not accredited: they usually offer certificate programs. A certificate program is a highly specialized course such as Six Sigma that teaches a specific skill. A certificate program is not a college degree. It can vary in length and may require less than two years of study.
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