When choosing a school, one of the most important considerations is whether or not it’s accredited. Accreditation benefits students on many levels and ensures they receive a high-quality education.
1) Accessibility to financial aid
Accredited universities can offer students financial aid and other educational funding opportunities that help make higher education affordable and attainable for everyone. Also, attending an unaccredited school does not guarantee you will be able to use student loans as a source of tuition payment. With the large debt burden placed upon college graduates today, this can pose serious problems for those who attend such institutions.
2) Grants and scholarship availability
Grants and scholarships, such as the ones offered by the government, are more readily available for students attending accredited schools. Receiving a scholarship can reduce or even eliminate the need to take out student loans, because those funds can be used to pay most tuition at such colleges and universities.
3) Better job opportunities after graduation
Graduates from accredited schools have greater access to jobs than their counterparts who attended unaccredited institutions. As hiring managers review resumes and applications, graduates from well-known and reputable schools will find it much easier to land that dream career they’ve been working toward than those who attended unaccredited schools and therefore lack the necessary training and skills needed in today’s demanding work environment. Further, Grand Canyon University accreditation has revealed that employers often hire graduates with degrees from accredited universities. That indicates that they have completed a rigorous academic program that ensures success in the field.
4) Better transfer credits
Some accredited universities are regionally, nationally, or even internationally recognized for their excellence in specific fields of study. That means that students who graduate from these programs will have an easier time transferring certain credit hours to other universities or applying them to their bachelor’s degrees. For instance, Grand Canyon University accreditation professionals claim that earning credit toward a bachelor’s degree is an important factor when considering where to go for higher education. It reduces the overall time spent earning a degree, which helps make post-graduate life more manageable financially and otherwise.
5) International student opportunities
Many students attend colleges and universities while pursuing degrees abroad to enhance their educational experiences with broader exposure and cultural immersion. Attending an accredited institution means that student visas can be processed much more efficiently and quickly, which is a key consideration for those living and working outside of the country pursuing post-secondary education here in America.
6) Quicker transfer of credit hours
Since attending an unaccredited school does not provide students with access to state financial aid or grants, no guarantee of credits earned will be accepted by other universities if they need to transfer arises at some point down the road. That often results in students having to retake courses they’ve already taken during their first stint at college, thus increasing the time and expense required for completing a bachelor’s degree program.