Are there any reputable and legit online degree programs? The more I search, the more confused I get!?

I have been researching online degree programs for more than 2 weeks. Thanks to Rip Off Report.com I have been alerted to PCDI, Ashworth College, University of Phoenix and American InterContinental University as being scams or, at the very least, unethical in their practices. I was in the process of enrolling with AIU when I found the rip off website. Fortunately, I had not completed the financial aid process. I had several red flags and the rip off report was the clincher. I now know that had I completed the financial aid, I would have been a lost cause! I have an associate degree (brick and mortar, not online) and work full time. I do not have the opportunity to attend a traditional campus college at this time. I am only trying to improve my quality of life and I am sickened by the number of "colleges" that are preying on hard-working people! Please, if anyone knows of a distance education that is worth the time and money and will actually be accepted by an employer, let me know.

Well, most online schools are rip offs, sorry to say. I know that kind of sucks, but here is good news. Many legitimate, accredited universities that you attend the campus also offer the same class in the online format, using a software program like WebCT, where they can put the test questions up and you have a limited amount of time to answer the questions. The time is very limited so as to not allow for enough time for the students to just look up the answers. I did this with University of Nevada, Las Vegas last year and my friend did that through UCLA last year... they both are legitimate. Check with your local university to see if they allow admitted students to take some classes in online formats.

There are a very few that are legitimate, and NONE are reputable. To be "legit" they must be accredited nationally. If they are not accredited, then they are not legitimate.

check your local university in your state - on who all and what all are affiliated -u will find 95% junk.

Just about most state school and community colleges have distance learning courses.. Why don't you try them first.

First, you want a school that is regionally accredited. Next, you want that accreditation to be universally accepted. One way to do that is to find the accreditation on the school website. Then insure the accreditation is a legitimately recognized agency.


From the AIU website:

Major universities in the United States can seek accreditation by six regional accrediting organizations. The regions are set up geographically, and colleges and universities are required to adhere to high-quality standards to maintain accreditation.

American InterContinental University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate, Bachelor鈥檚, and Master鈥檚 degrees.


That said, AIU fails to state that SACS shows AIU to be on probation.

CHEA has a database of all accredited schools recognized by the US Dept. of Education. www.chea.org.

I'm currently enrolled in semester one of the Computer Information Management program at Ashworth College and have absolutely no complaints. The lessons are informative as well as educational and the exams stimulate the brain. Overall, I am quite pleased and look forward to moving along to semester two.