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?
State law requires that the SC Commission on Higher Education license most private institutions. Licensed institutions are required to meet minimal standards and provide accurate and useful information to prospective and current students. The Commission licenses schools that offer credit bearing courses or programs that prepare students for an occupation. 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?
Accreditation is a nongovernmental, voluntary, peer evaluation process. To become accredited by an appropriately recognized accrediting agency, institutions and programs must show that they meet certain standards established by the accrediting agency.

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

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

The US Department of Education reviews and recognizes accrediting agencies. Accreditation by a USDE recognized accrediting agency is one criterion for institutional eligibility for Federal funds. Another indicator of credibility for accrediting agencies is membership with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CHEA is a nongovernmental organization that evaluates and recognizes the work of its member accrediting agencies.

To find out if an institution has recognized accreditation, get the name 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 field you would like to enter. Ask what credentials they look for in prospective employees. Do they recognize certifications from trade schools? If so, which ones? Ask, too, if openings in the field are plentiful.

What preparation do you need for a particular occupation?
Is there a specific educational level required to obtain an entry-level position in the field that you would like to enter? Contact professional licensure agencies or certification organizations and ask what is needed to achieve licensure or certification. Ask if graduates from the institution you are considering are eligible for licensure or certification. Find out how many graduates from the institution applied for licensure or certification and received it. If licensure or certification is required for the field you would like to enter, request the percentage of students who pass their licensing exams and are 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 you have 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 new program. The receiving institution will decide whether it will accept any credits in transfer.

If you think you might want to use coursework from the institution you are considering to count toward a program at another institution later, contact possible future institutions and ask the admissions or registrar’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 schools offer 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 program manager at the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) in the Academic Affairs and Licensing Division. Since her employment at CHE in 1991, her primary responsibility has been licensing of nonpublic postsecondary institutions operating or soliciting in the state. Licensing is a consumer protection function. Her academic credentials are a B.S. degree in Business Administration and an M.B.A. She has collaborated with accreditation teams for the state with the SC Department of Education and the Board of Nursing. She is active in national professional organizations for state licensing and regulatory officials.