Is your school accredited? You can look it up, plus links to videos.

Checking out your college. Is it accredited? Be sure.

St. John's College - Cambridge. By lenscapbob on Flickr.

Are you online or going to face-to-face classes? Is it accredited? Will your credits transfer if you want to go to another school later?

It is not easy to know whether your school credits will transfer. Some students have been known to go to a school they thought was accredited, then switch schools and have to take their classes over. What a disappointment!

This actually happened to a friend of mine. Then he didn't finish school after all, probably because thinking about taking all of his classes over was daunting.

Sometimes for-profit schools (and others) may not tell you the truth about accreditation or whether your credits will transfer. You may have to check online or with your next school to find out. Do this early and save yourself some money, hassle, and disappointment.

Here are some articles and websites that can help you find out more.

Betsyanne

ABC News 2010: For-Profit Colleges Under Investigation

(Nightline 2010) For-Profit Education Investigation. There is a video here for this one. A short ad is first.

The U.S. Department of Education Accreditation Search Page

I hope school is going well, nontraditional students!
 
And here are some Nontrad links:
The Nontrad site and blog
Join Nontrads on Facebook
Nontrads on Yahoo
Nontrads on Twitter