University of Louisville Online Programs | Student Resources & Feature Stories

Accreditation: Does it Matter if my School of Choice is Not Accredited?

By Laura Dorman | April 8, 2015

There is little doubt that choosing a college can be overwhelming even for the savviest of us. Concerns about tuition, location, programs offered, and one thousand and one other things swirl around in your head as you try to make your way toward a decision. Still, there is one important item, often overlooked or not entirely understood, that you should have on your checklist when considering which institution is best for you, and that is accreditation. So, YES!, accreditation really matters.

You don’t hear people talking too often about accreditation when discussing which college to attend; however, whether a college is accredited and the type of accreditation it holds have some of the most important implications of any criteria used in the school selection process.

Receiving and maintaining a certain type of accreditation means that the institution has gone through a thorough process of evaluation at all institutional levels and meets specific quality standards and criteria to ensure that students are receiving the intended education, as laid out by the accrediting body. Attending a school that is not accredited at all can mean leaving your education and your future up to chance. Schools that are not accredited are held to few or no standards or regulations.

Not all schools applying for regional or national accreditation meet the criteria to receive such accreditation. Some schools are not accredited because they are new and may be in the process of applying for accreditation. It is recommended that you thoroughly investigate before enrolling in a non-accredited school – call and ask if the institution is undergoing this process and when it expects to obtain accreditation – then decide whether you are still interested in attending (wiche.edu).

Before signing your admission application to a non-accredited college, here are a few things to consider in your decision-making process:

Credit transfer: Credits from a non-accredited institution will not be accepted for transfer to a regionally accredited school because non-accredited schools are not held to the same standard as regionally accredited schools (studentaid.ed.gov).

Cost (time/money): Earning a degree or certificate is hard work; it can take months or years to complete and often comes with a large financial investment. Getting a degree from a program that is not accredited can set a student back years and cost thousands of dollars, especially if that student goes on to work in a field that requires licensure and continuous professional development. This is by far the most serious of the potential consequences of attending a non-accredited institution.

Financial aid: Attending a non-accredited school also means that students will be ineligible for any government or military financial aid for tuition costs (studentaid.ed.gov). That can lead to large out-of-pocket expenses for the duration of the program and many years beyond completion.

Employment: Attending a non-accredited institution will make it much harder to use your degree to find a job after graduation (worldwidelearn.com). The job market today is more competitive than ever, and having a degree from a non-accredited school will put you behind everyone who has earned a degree from an accredited school. There is a general perception that schools that meet accreditation standards produce better professionals who can become great candidates for their jobs. Employing someone with a degree from a school that is not held to any academic standards is a risky and potentially costly move. Employers generally know what they are getting when they hire someone who has graduated from an accredited school because the rules and metrics that must be met to obtain accreditation align with educational standards in higher education and across specific fields and industries.

Licensing: Depending on your field of study, it may be preferred or required to attend a school with an accredited program. Fields which call for taking a test and becoming licensed after earning your degree often require that you graduate not only from an accredited school, but also from an accredited program (Phillips, geteducated.com). Specialized accreditation indicates that a specific degree program (i.e. nursing, accounting) at a school lives up to certain standards of that field (Phillips, geteducated.com). Having a specialized accreditation does not give accreditation to the other programs in the college; however, having a program with specialized accreditation typically suggests that the entire school is accredited (wascsenior.org).

To avoid issues like these, future students should do extensive research on their schools of interest before they enroll, or better yet, ask an enrollment advisor whether the institution of their choice is accredited and what type of accreditation the institution has received or will receive.

The University of Louisville is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, bachelor, master, specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees (D.M.D., J.D., M.D.). See online programs available at UofL.

To learn more about types of accreditation for institutions, see our article comparing regional and national accreditation.

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References

Phillips, V. (n.d.). What is Online College or University Accreditation? Get Educated. Retrieved from http://www.geteducated.com/college-degree-mills/203-what-is-online-college-accreditation

Things to Consider. Federal Student Aid. Retrieved from https://studentaid.ed.gov/prepare-for-college/choosing-schools/consider

Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Regional Accreditation. Retrieved from http://www.wascsenior.org/about/regionalaccreditation

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, WISCH (2010). Online Learning. Retrieved from http://www.wiche.edu/knowledge/14295

Why You Should Choose an Accredited College Degree. World Wide Learn. Retrieved from http://www.worldwidelearn.com/accreditation/importance-accreditation.htm

RN-to-BSN Program’s Revised Curriculum Results in Cost Savings

By admin | March 25, 2015

Saving future nursing students nearly $5,000 is one benefit of the University of Louisville School of Nursing’s revamped RN-to-BSN online program that reflects the evolving nature of health care. Some courses have been restructured and others, such as population health and nursing leadership and health policy, are new to the program.

“In Kentucky, only 33 percent of the nursing workforce is baccalaureate-prepared. The Institute of Medicine has recommended that 80 percent of nurses receive a bachelor’s degree by the year 2020,”said Marcia J. Hern, Ed.D., CNS, RN, dean, UofL School of Nursing. “It is well documented that baccalaureate–prepared nurses have decreased patient deaths and better outcomes in caring for patients with complex diseases.”

The online RN-to-BSN program provides a flexible, cost-effective opportunity for nurses with an associate’s degree or a nursing diploma to earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at their own pace. Students can finish the program in as few as 16 months, although they may take more time if needed.

Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the RN-to-BSN program requires 31 core credits plus 30 portfolio credits. The portfolio consists of a resume, goal statement, professional development documentation, and other materials to support practice as a professional nurse. These 30 tuition-free credit hours count toward graduation requirements – a value of more than $14,000 in tuition costs.

“The affordability and convenience of the online education platform combined with the strong support of award-winning faculty and access to all university support services makes the online RN-to-BSN program ideal for nurses seeking a baccalaureate degree,” Hern said.

There’s still time to apply for this summer! In addition, July 1 is the application deadline for fall classes, along with December 1 for spring classes.

Learn more about UofL’s 100% online RN-to-BSN program here.

Social Networking and Cybercrime: New Book Examines It All

By Laura Dorman | November 26, 2014

Is social media keeping you up at night? Is it your role to be on the look out for criminals on Facebook or Instagram? What is the proper course of action for folks who are caught doing something illegal on those sites?

Law enforcing authorities assigned to monitoring cybercrime issues must be able to engage in the best and most effective practices and resources to alleviate the intrusions into virtual space and invasion of privacy or abuse of social interaction platforms and the Internet in general.

“As social networking continues to evolve and expand, the opportunities for deviant and criminal behavior have multiplied.” That is the premise behind Social Networking as a Criminal Enterprise, a book published earlier this year and edited by Dr. George Higgins, a professor in the Department of Justice Administration at the University of Louisville (UofL) and Dr. Catherine Marcum of Appalachian State University.

The book compiles contributions from experts in the growing field of cybercriminality (including chapters co-written by the two editors). Here, Higgins and Marcum explore how new avenues for social networking criminality have affected our criminal justice system.

The text includes case studies that place the material of study in the context of real-world application and offers discussion questions at the end of each chapter to encourage critical thinking for specific scenarios. Ideal for students and scholars, the book offers a comprehensive examination of how the emergence of social networking has affected criminality on the Internet, and the resulting impact on the criminal justice system.

Naturally, with the advancements of technology, social interaction and communication, there are now new types of crimes that didn’t exist even a decade ago, but it’s how the criminal justice and corrections system is handling these offenders that Higgins and Marcum pay special attention to throughout their work. In fact, the book concludes with a discourse on law enforcement’s response to cybercrime, including new techniques and training relating to identifying the offense and offenders, type of evidence required, and use of experts and best practices in bringing offenders to justice. It all revolves around how the corrections system is handling cybercriminals.

As for students, many can experience learning from the master when taking Higgins’ courses at UofL, where he’s recently taught classes in the Justice Administration department on Race and Gender Issues in Criminal Justice and Advanced Statistical Computer Applications for Criminal Justice. This coming spring, Dr. Higgins will also be teaching a Research Methods online class which examines the application of quantitative and qualitative analyses in criminal justice research.

To learn more about the 100% online Master of Science in Justice Administration program, or to apply and enroll to the criminal justice degrees offered online at the University of Louisville, please visit our program page at Louisville.edu/online.

Financial Aid: Getting Started Guide

By admin | November 12, 2014

We know the cost of education is one of the most important considerations when deciding where to pursue a degree. The University of Louisville is committed to ensuring you’re knowledgeable about all of your financial aid options. That’s why the university created Start to Finish, a collection of all the information you’ll need to simplify the financial aid process and make earning a degree affordable for your family.

The information below answers some of the basic questions about financial aid, but you can always visit our website to learn more about online tuition and financial aid.

Eligibility Requirements

General eligibility requirements for Federal Student Aid include:

Must be admitted to the college and enrolled in a degree-granting program (visiting students and students in non-degree/graduate certificate programs are not eligible)
Must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident
Must be enrolled at least half time (for loans and state grant aid)
Must not be in default on any prior student loan or owe a refund on a federal grant
Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year

FAFSA Submission

The cornerstone of the financial aid process is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Complete the FAFSA online to determine your eligibility for need-based federal student aid. The UofL school code you’ll need when filing the FAFSA is 001999.

Please note that international students are not eligible for federal financial aid, with some exceptions. To learn more about eligibility for international students, visit the U.S. Department of Education website.

To complete the FAFSA, make sure to have ready all of the following:

Social Security Number
Driver’s license number (if applicable)
Alien Registration Number (if not a U.S. citizen)
W-2 forms and other 2012 records of money earned
Federal income tax return (use estimates if not yet completed)
Information on savings & investments, and records of untaxed income

Note: Dependent students must provide all information for self and parents.
Independent students must provide all information for self and spouse, if married.

Application Verification

After the FAFSA has been submitted, the Financial Aid Office may contact the student if additional information is required for verification. The FAFSA is the application for all federal and state grants. Should a student require student loans, the FAFSA is the application for the Federal Stafford Loan Program as well.

Other tuition payment options

Applying for federal aid is a great option for tuition payment. However, there are several other options for covering the cost of earning a degree:

Military benefits. Visit http://louisville.edu/veterans or contact Carissa Gentry.
Employer tuition assistance. Ask your employer if this benefit is available.
Convenient payment plans. Make several payments throughout the semester.
If you attend KCTCS or Ivy Tech Community College (Sellersburg, IN), you may qualify for the Academic Transfer Scholarship. Visit the transfer services website for details.
- Some scholarship opportunities can be found at https://louisville.edu/financialaid/scholarships. Most scholarship opportunities only apply to undergraduate students.
You might also qualify for the Go Higher Grant, a need-based grant awarded to Kentucky residents age 24 or older. Visit the Go Higher Grant web site for application details and qualifications.
- Other grant opportunities can be found at https://louisville.edu/financialaid/grants. This includes federal and state grant programs, designated to students working towards a first bachelor’s degree (eligibility based on FAFSA and school information).
Department Aid. Check with your program about additional scholarship opportunities.

UofL’s Office of Student Financial Aid is available to answer any questions you have about the financial aid process. Visit the financial aid web page or contact a financial aid counselor at 502.852.5511.

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