 A word of warning to prospective college students: If a new degree program is awaiting accreditation at a college, you may want to wait until the program is formally accredited before you enroll. Most of the time programs get accredited, particularly at regionally accredited colleges. However, not all do. And the plight of students enrolled in such programs can be tragic. Colleges usually allow those students to transfer into another degree program at the college. However, the students do not get the degree they set out to earn and usually cannot enter their desired field even though they have taken a substantial number of courses in the program that failed to obtain necessary accreditation. Being enrolled in a degree program that fails to earn accreditation not only affects job prospects, it affects financial aid and wastes precious time. Although students earn an alternative degree, they often pursue their desired program at another college. But that means starting over. More tuition. More loans. More time. It saves time and money to do a little homework before you enroll and to be wary of assurances that accreditation is certain. |
