Earning a degree from a nonaccredited college can be a good way to advance in your career or simply learn more about a career field that interests you, but the degree will cost you. Deciding whether to spend your money on a degree from a nonaccredited college can be risky due to the prevalence of "diploma mills"--particularly those that are distance-based; they usually have lax academic standards and, therefore, a controversial reputation among other institutions. These degrees are nontransferable; that is, they will not be recognized by a 4-year, regionally accredited institution should you wish to pursue an advanced degree. It is also worth noting that degrees from nonaccredited schools are invariably viewed by employers with some amount of suspicion because of the lack of accreditation and lack of academic rigor.
Often nonaccredited degrees are trade-related. For instance, ITT Tech offers six degree tracks, the majority of which focusing primarily on Information Technology-related careers. Oftentimes nonaccredited colleges will provide campus and online programs designed around the student's schedule. Many attendees of these programs are adults returning to school in order to change careers or advance in their company. It is worth noting that when a school is not accredited, federal financial aid Is not available.
More often than not students enroll in these programs with the assumption that a degree from a nonaccredited college will transfer to a 4-year regionally accredited school. This is not the case. America's accrediting agency, CHEA, recognizes six regional accrediting boards, though there are many schools with national accreditation. Regionally accredited institutions rarely accept transfer credits from a nationally accredited school, and they never accept credits from a nonaccredited college. In order to safeguard yourself--and your educational goals--it is worth calling the registrar's office of any school you are considering attending to ensure that you would be able to transfer your academic credits to a regionally accredited school should you wish to do so.