There are over 3,000 accredited colleges and universities in the United States, but most of us can only recall 30 to 50 of the ones with well-known names. These well-known universities have made their name by having sports teams shown on TV, a favorable campus environment, or a research facility that has won prizes. These features have little to no value to a remote student who may never go near the campus, attend a football game, or a class taught by a prize-winning professor. The highest-ranked on-campus universities may be a poor choice for an online student due to limited online degrees and courses.
Since all accredited colleges are regulated to have the same academic standards, we chose a university with a good reputation, a suitable online degree program, and a large selection of online classes. Online students want to attend a university that will treat them well. If a student has transfer credit, they want a university that will accept all or most of it. The student wants a university that provides a clear path to a degree in their chosen major. Tuition cost is a consideration. We selected a University with all of the above and one with many online courses available so we could finish our degree without delays. It is easy to get into college but hard to get out of college with a degree.
A primary consideration for our college selection was to find a college that accepts alternative credit or credit for prior learning (outlined here). Our goal was to use alternative credit for almost 90 credit units, so we only considered colleges that would accept a large amount of alternative credit.
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