Research. Yes, your biggest and toughest research assignment starts even before you find a college! Do an online search of colleges who offer the entire degree plan online. Other than the medical field, you will be able to find most classes offered online. The trick is to find college who offers the entire degree plan through online and/or correspondence classes.
Investigate. After you locate the colleges that offer the degree that you are searching for, you must find out which of the colleges are accredited. You can do this by calling the state department of education in the school's home state. All government phone numbers can be found online as well. Next, call your state department of education to find out if your hard earned degree from any of the schools on your list will be recognized by your state.
Eliminate. Find the program that will work best for you and your needs. Sometimes online classes are less expensive and sometimes they cost more to attend due to the fact that you may be paying out-of-state fees. Eliminate what you know is out of your budget.
Apply. Most schools allow you to print out an application from their website. Allow ten days for your application to be received and reviewed, then call the school and begin inquiring about your application. Before your initial phone call, write down a list of questions, such as "Will I need to attend campus for an orientation?", "Are there any tests required by your state that I need to take?", " How do I apply for financial aid?" Know that some online schools allow you to start at any time of the year, but others will accept new students according to semester.
Communicate. It is important that you communicate regularly with your online instructors. If they know who you are, they will have an understanding of who you are and will be compassionate towards you if a situation should arise throughout the school year. Also, by communicating with your teacher, if you have a question about something, chances are you will not put off asking for an explanation.
Be diligent. The hardest thing about attending college online is that you are responsible for your actions and your time. You have got to be one step ahead of your class schedule at all times. Knowing that you are taking online courses because you either have a full time job, a family, or possible both, you will need to organize your time in a way that you are able to do your school work without constant distractions. You must work hard at all times.