Is This A Good School? Strategies to help evaluate the quality of postsecondary educational programs and schools.

by Renea Eshlman, of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

Is the institution operating legally?
Statelaw requires that the SC Commission on Higher Education license mostprivate institutions. Licensed institutions are required to meetminimal standards and provide accurate and useful information toprospective and current students. The Commission licenses schools thatoffer credit bearing courses or programs that prepare students for anoccupation. The web site of CHE has posted lists of colleges and universities  and licensed providers of non-degree occupational preparation programs .

Is the institution accredited?
Accreditationis a nongovernmental, voluntary, peer evaluation process. To becomeaccredited by an appropriately recognized accrediting agency,institutions and programs must show that they meet certain standardsestablished by the accrediting agency.

Institutional accrediting agencies establish standards for theentire institution. Program or specialized accrediting agenciesestablish standards that apply to programs, departments, or schools forspecific fields of study such as nursing or engineering.

Accreditation does not provide automatic acceptance by aninstitution of credit earned at another institution, nor does it giveassurance of employment of graduates by employers.

The US Department of Education reviews and recognizes accreditingagencies. Accreditation by a USDE recognized accrediting agency is onecriterion for institutional eligibility for Federal funds. Anotherindicator of credibility for accrediting agencies is membership withthe Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CHEA is anongovernmental organization that evaluates and recognizes the work ofits member accrediting agencies.

To find out if an institution has recognized accreditation, get thename of the agency that accredits the institution. Then check the online databases of CHEA  or USDE directories .

Will employers accept the training as preparation for employment? 
Call the human resources departments of some organizations in the fieldyou would like to enter. Ask what credentials they look for inprospective employees. Do they recognize certifications from tradeschools? If so, which ones? Ask, too, if openings in the field areplentiful.

What preparation do you need for a particular occupation?
Isthere a specific educational level required to obtain an entry-levelposition in the field that you would like to enter? Contactprofessional licensure agencies or certification organizations and askwhat is needed to achieve licensure or certification. Ask if graduatesfrom the institution you are considering are eligible for licensure orcertification. Find out how many graduates from the institution appliedfor licensure or certification and received it. If licensure orcertification is required for the field you would like to enter,request the percentage of students who pass their licensing exams andare placed in jobs.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an online Occupational Outlook Handbook . Additional information is available from a web site the Georgia State University publishes for the U.S. Department of Labor .

Visit the school
Don’t assume that you have to sign an enrollment agreement while you are there.

• Get a copy of the school catalog
• Observe equipment and facilities
• Sit in on a class or two
• Talk to current students in the program you are considering
• Talk with some instructors in the program you are considering

Find out about transferring courses.
If youhave taken courses that you would like to transfer to a new program,take a copy of your transcript to the admissions office when you visit.Courses you have taken will not automatically transfer to your newprogram. The receiving institution will decide whether it will acceptany credits in transfer.

If you think you might want to use coursework from the institutionyou are considering to count toward a program at another institutionlater, contact possible future institutions and ask the admissions orregistrar’s office the following:

• From what kinds of institutions do you regularly accept credits?
• What kind of information is considered when deciding acceptance of credits from other institutions?
• Have you accepted credits from (school name)?

Compare programs.
Find out which other schoolsoffer similar programs. Compare accreditation, length, schedule, cost,content, transferability, placement rates, financial aid availability,and other factors that are important to you.

For additional information:
SC Commission on Higher Education 
Employer’s Guide to College Degrees 
Council on Higher Education Accreditation article on diploma mills 

Renea Eshlman is a programmanager at the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) inthe Academic Affairs and Licensing Division. Since her employment atCHE in 1991, her primary responsibility has been licensing of nonpublicpostsecondary institutions operating or soliciting in the state.Licensing is a consumer protection function. Her academic credentialsare a B.S. degree in Business Administration and an M.B.A. She hascollaborated with accreditation teams for the state with the SCDepartment of Education and the Board of Nursing. She is active innational professional organizations for state licensing and regulatoryofficials.