Go to a rating website for colleges such as Earn My Degree or eLearners.com (see Resources) to get information about a wide variety of online colleges. This will produce a long list, but you can narrow it down from there. If you are seeking a business degree, most online schools may seem the same. If you want a degree in 17th century French literature, you’re going to have to search a little more.
Narrow your search to five that give you the specialties you seek. Some will be accredited schools—meaning the degrees they confer are the equivalent of traditional schools—while others will offer classes that may be interesting, but won’t get you to a recognized degree.
Browse through the online course catalogs to get a sense of what they offer. Course and degree descriptions can give you insight into what kind of college it is and how it will fit your needs. You can try the Directory of Online Schools for courses in your field.
Call each one to see what their accreditations are and how much the programs cost. Here you can not only get a sense of what they offer, but also of how they treat prospective students. This is important because you will be giving the right college a lot of money and you should be treated with respect.
Decide what kind of setting you want to study within. Some online colleges only allow you to study in “learning teams.” This is quite a convenience for the college, but may cause you difficulties since you are depending on other people for your grades and success. Remember that not everyone else may be as dedicated to success as you are.
Check to see if the college has full-time instructors. This can be important because if they are adjunct—meaning teaching a class or two, but making their livings elsewhere—they may not dedicate the time and effort you seek. For some information on full-time instructors, try each college and ask the question. Sometimes this is hard to get an answer to, but it's worth seeking.
Gather the facts. What percentage of these colleges have had large numbers of drop outs and poor reviews? You can check blogs and articles online concerning them. People who have had bad experiences tend to shout about it, especially in blogs. If the college you are considering comes up with a lot of bad reviews, consider a different one. A good place to start is at studentsreview.com where there are uncensored reviews of colleges by students who use or used specific online schools.
Check with traditional colleges in your area and ask which online college—if any—they work with most. Officials at local colleges may tell you how cooperative online schools are, since many traditional colleges now are affiliated with online programs.