How reliable are accredited online colleges?

I've been thinking about focusing on some online colleges for practical reasons, and came across the term 'accredited online college'. Are these as good as traditional colleges? What should I be looking for to ensure their degree holds up?

Accreditation for an online college is a significant factor to consider when you're evaluating the quality of the degree you'll receive. Essentially, accreditation is a validation process in which online colleges and traditional, on-campus colleges are evaluated against certain educational standards.

While not all online colleges possess this accreditation, it's worth noting that a degree from an accredited online college tends to carry more weight with employers and other educational institutions than a degree from a non-accredited institution. Accreditation demonstrates that the educational institution has met strict standards for its curriculum and faculty, among other things.

It's important to recognize that there are two main types of accreditation - regional and national. Regional accreditation is typically considered to be more prestigious and credits earned from regionally accredited schools are generally more likely to transfer to other institutions. National accreditation is more common among vocational and trade schools.

You can verify a school's accreditation status by checking an accrediting body's (like the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the U.S. Department of Education's) databases. Be aware of diploma mills, which are essentially fake online colleges that grant “degrees” without assessing students' abilities, often in a remarkably short amount of time and with little coursework.

Lastly, just keep in mind that a degree - online or otherwise - is just one aspect of your appeal to a potential employer. Other factors like your internships, skill set, extracurricular activities, and work experiences are all important considerations as well.