Online colleges...Are they a scam?

I currently attend Southern New Hampshire University as a graduate student online(they also offer undergrad)- I'm in my 3rd semester and so far I really like it. I also have a friend that also goes to SNHU but does classes on campus about an hour away from me. I like it, but if you've never done online courses before it may not be for you- you basically teach yourself everything without instruction.

I can't speak for any other "online colleges"

I know St. Joseph's College (very reputable but pricey) in Maine has started online undergraduate programs as well.

I don't have personal experience with a particular college, but you can weed out the scams by searching for accreditation. If they are accredited, they will have it on their website. If they are not accredited, they are either a scam or their degrees may not be worth the money when you get into the job market.

You'll want to stay away from "for-profit" institutions. State schools or accredited community colleges that offer online classes would probably be your best bet.

Some are actually legit colleges. They use online learning as a way to reach out and get more students, therefore, more revenue. It's smart. The college I went to for Grad school was very big into this. It is a legit school with a campus and football team and everything, but also a huge online prescence. Also, it has online teaching in other countries via the internet. They claim to be one of the pioneers of this idea. I don't know if that's true. Anyway, I think some are legit. I'd just look them up and make sure they are a real accredited college. If they are accredted and have a campus, I would feel comfortable with using thier online school. If they are not a traditional "campus" and maybe just an online school, which doesn't automatically mean they are not good, but, I would do more research about them and learn as much as you can about it.

It also depends on your goals. If you just want to learn something, it doesn't matter as long as you learn. But, if you want a certificate or degree of some sort, it might matter. It just depends.

Good luck.

i did the online route, only because it fit my schedule...but i did a lot of research before doing so. the school i did go with is a 4 year accredited school and when i did my courses, they were still fairly new to the online, but made it better for me instead of leaving the state and paying all sorts of out of state tuition fees and other fees i couldn't afford.

Honestly, the quality is just not there yet. When you attend a face to face you just plain get more out of it (from your instructor and fellow students). Plus the College/University has a slew of presenters, free exhibits, and other resources on site that you will miss. Not to mention the underlying structure of an online school is such that it is not going to generally attract the very best Instructors. But with that said I think online is better than nothing. Good luck with your decision.

ETA:

You'll want to stay away from "for-profit" institutions. State schools or accredited community colleges that offer online classes would probably be your best bet.

^this for sure! You don't want to be in a place that places profit over education (as a side note: some of these institutions are being sued right now). Unfortunately this for-profit system is getting more common....but that's another topic entirely

ETAII:

For profit schools aren't always bad (it's no different than going to a private school)... it just means they don't get government funding and you are pretty much footing the whole cost of taking the class... anyway, Only colleges are becoming more and more popular... and while there may be scams out there not all of them are... accredited or not... accredited just means they meet the minimum course work requirements so that the degree will be widely recognized.

Just check with places like the Better Business Bureau and review sites... many public colleges and universities offer coursework and degree's online... One of the more respected (and oldest) schools to do this kind of thing is Pennsylvania State University... they have been doing long distance learning courses since at least the 60's (I have some of my grandfather's course books from the university in that time).

I'm sorry to point this out but this is false information For profit colleges are not the same as private colleges/universities. And it is important to understand the distinction that some/most colleges offer online classes but online degrees are something entirely different.

So people think that government funded schools are better than for-profit schools?

WOW. Someone should call Harvard and let them know.

This is where people don't understand the distinction. I'm not trying to be a know-it-all I completely understand why this would confusing and truthfully there are some gray areas here. These are just the words that are used in higher education to describe these 3 different types of institutions; public, private, and for-profit. All three are different in how they are structured. Public schools and private ones (like Harvard) get a percentage of state and federal funding (schools like Harvard get a lot of research money). What is known as "for profit" are generally colleges that are outside (or on the edge) of the purview of accountability. I am not saying that this automatically means they are bad, just that they are able to do things that would not fly at the other two types of schools. For-profit colleges are usually more expensive because they don't generally get federal/state funding. They do however benefit from federal funding in the way of financial aid through the students and this is quite controversial. Their very first concern is the money they make instead of educating students. While there have always been for profit schools, in this extreme incarnation the for-profit system is relatively new. The controversy lies in their standards (or lack of standards) and that they are making a ton of cash off of tax payer dollars (through student loans from many students who start but often don't finish). The bottom line is they are putting profits over people. In my opinion this is the worst thing you can do in education. Also since the standards are shaky you don't really know 1. what you are getting and 2. if employers will question your degree from a place like this.

Unfortunately, the trend in higher education is profit across the board. Everything from using very low paid adjuncts to teach a majority of courses to not supporting faculty research and not protecting academic freedom (even pushing the myth that tenure is bad). But despite all that I'll take the public version of this (with all it's regulations and protections in place) than the corporate one any day.

To The OP do you actually want to learn and gain new knowledge for life? Or are you merely interested in getting a piece of paper? If it is just about a piece of paper then find the cheapest, least competitive online program and go for it.

So people think that government funded schools are better than for-profit schools?

WOW. Someone should call Harvard and let them know.

This is where people don't understand the distinction. I'm not trying to be a know-it-all I completely understand why this would confusing and truthfully there are some gray areas here. These are just the words that are used in higher education to describe these 3 different types of institutions; public, private, and for-profit. All three are different in how they are structured. Public schools and private ones (like Harvard) get a percentage of state and federal funding (schools like Harvard get a lot of research money). What is known as "for profit" are generally colleges that are outside (or on the edge) of the purview of accountability. I am not saying that this automatically means they are bad, just that they are able to do things that would not fly at the other two types of schools. For-profit colleges are usually more expensive because they don't generally get federal/state funding. They do however benefit from federal funding in the way of financial aid through the students and this is quite controversial. Their very first concern is the money they make instead of educating students. While there have always been for profit schools, in this extreme incarnation the for-profit system is relatively new. The controversy lies in their standards (or lack of standards) and that they are making a ton of cash off of tax payer dollars (through student loans from many students who start but often don't finish). The bottom line is they are putting profits over people. In my opinion this is the worst thing you can do in education. Also since the standards are shaky you don't really know 1. what you are getting and 2. if employers will question your degree from a place like this.

Unfortunately, the trend in higher education is profit across the board. Everything from using very low paid adjuncts to teach a majority of courses to not supporting faculty research and not protecting academic freedom (even pushing the myth that tenure is bad). But despite all that I'll take the public version of this (with all it's regulations and protections in place) than the corporate one any day.

To The OP do you actually want to learn and gain new knowledge for life? Or are you merely interested in getting a piece of paper? If it is just about a piece of paper then find the cheapest, least competitive online program and go for it.

I think what you are trying to explain the difference between Private and for-profit is for profit accredited and non-accredited. Harvard is a completely for profit school. Yes, they get money for the government in the form of grants for research, but that is not the same as a state funded college that uses state and federal funds to subsidize tuition.

Trust me, if Harvard was not making a profit on the research they were doing for the government, they wouldn't be doing the research. Harvard still puts profits over education, the difference is that they understand that if their standards of education drop then they will not get students to pay their high fee's to attend. The reason that some of the lesser respected for profit colleges have such a bad rep is because they don't put that premium on education. They realize that if they can offer classes at less cost (often than even state sponsored colleges) they will get more bodies churning through.

It is like the difference between a 5 star restaurant and McDonalds. Both are looking to make a profit, they just have different business plans on how to make that profit.

You just have to choose a "real" college. I got my Associates in Nursing at a local community college, then completed my Bachelors in Nursing online through a local private university. Very legit, very real, and a whole lot of work! A common misconception is that online classes are "easier"... well I can tell you this is not the case! You will have just as many papers/exams, and the exams that I took for my BSN were styled in a way that you couldn't simply "Google" the answer, for those who may be looking for the easy way out. I'm currently enrolled at grad school online at the same university for my Masters in Nursing. It really is a great option for those in the "real world" who have jobs and other constraints that limit your ability to attend traditional classes. You will always have your "fly-by-night" online colleges - just pick a reputable school, check the accreditation, and go for it!

I'm at the Open university which is mainly online - although we also have upto 6 hours of tutorials a month (depending upon the course).

At the end of it I'll get a degree and in the UK degrees from the OU have a very good reputation as it means that I've managed to do it all while having other commitments.

I do miss brick uni but with four kids ( with additional needs) it would be very difficult to do. The social side can be hard - its useful having other students to bounce ideas off but the upside is that i can work ahead in case of family emergencies.

Also Harvard and a couple of others offer free courses - maybe have a look and try one and see how you go.

The OU is great!! I am also a student with them now great flexibility as you say also considered highly only downside now is that new students have to pay increase fees, though the prices are still much cheaper than at brick unis! You don't have to work towards a degree either, you can do certificates, diplomas etc so depends on what you're looking to achieve