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There are two main types of educational accreditation currently used by online colleges & universities. Regional accreditation and National accreditation. We’ve established a series of basic questions to consider when deciding which type of accreditation fits your learning style.

Time Factor

How much time do you have?

		Students who attend Regionally Accredited Online Schools: Generally have “attendance” requirements, where students would have to log on at a certain time. (sometimes weekly) e.g. Every Wednesday from 3 pm-4 pm. You may also be required to “participate” in discussions by posting discussion board responses. (Usually weekly)
Regional Accreditation
The Good Regional Accreditation how much time do I have the good: If you have a tendency to procrastinate, this method keeps you working diligently on your school work, it gives you a goal every week to achieve, guiding you through your class. This method requires you to have a reliable computer as well as internet access.
The Bad Regional Accreditation how much time do I have the bad: If you miss a session or an assignment due date, even for legitimate reasons, that could adversely affect your grade. You could be in a class and grasp the knowledge of the class fairly easily, but have to remain in the class for the duration.Armed-ed.com calls it "dragging your feet." If you share a computer, or have limited internet access (I.E. Deployed) this could be a problem for you.

		Students who attend Nationally Accredited Online Schools: Generally don’t have “attendance” requirements or “Participation” requirements
National Accreditation
The Good National Accreditation how much time do I have the good: Without a predetermined minimum amount of time to complete a course, the truly motivated student can complete courses, in as little as a week. We at Armed-ed.com have seen this happen regularly. The student can literally "fast track "to earning a degree.
The Bad National Accreditation how much time do I have the bad: Without predetermined assignments due, or log-in times, this method unfortunately allows procrastinators to do just that, procrastinate. Those students will wait until the very end then try to play catch up-it rarely works.

Learning Style

How do you learn?

		Students who attend Regionally Accredited Online schools: Generally have a set amount of time to complete each class. (E.g. every class that you take will be 5 weeks in length). Additionally, each assignment may be due by a certain date and time. (E.g. you may have an assignment due every Sunday, by midnight). Schools may also require cohort (group) projects.
Regional Accreditation
The Good Regional Accreditation how do I learn the good: Cohort groups, or group projects can be good. It allows interaction with other students across the globe, much like a traditional school.
The Bad Regional Accreditation how much time do I have the bad: The biggest complaints Armed-ed.com has received regarding cohort groups is that, other students, from around the globe, you have to rely on for a grade. Sometimes, when those students don't "pull their weight" it requires the other members of the cohort group to do more work, to make up for it.

		Students who attend Nationally Accredited Online Schools: Generally have a set maximum time in order to complete a class, but no minimum.(E.g.. You may be allotted 8 weeks to finish the course, however, it’s possible to complete the course in two weeks, and proceed to your next class). Your assignments, generally don’t have due dates, other than, everything that’s associated with the class has to be completed, within the time allotted.
National Accreditation
The Good Nationally accredited schools How do I learn the good: This method is more suitable for the motivated student. The student can literally fast track their way to earning a degree. The amount of time spent completing a class generally depends on how quickly you grasp the course information.
The Bad National Accreditation how do I learn the bad: Without predetermined assignments due, or log-in times, this method unfortunately allows procrastinators to do just that, procrastinate. Those students will wait until the very end then try to play catch up-it rarely works.

Transferring

Do you plan to transfer ?

		Generally are able to transfer credits to other institutions with little or no difficulty. Regional accreditation is the older of the two types of accreditation, and is more widely known and recognized.
Regional Accreditation
The Good Regional Accreditation do I plan to transfer the good: If you plan on transferring to another university, you most likely won't have to worry about another institution accepting the credits that you've earned, and they normally do without any issues. This is also true when earning a degree, and then going on for advanced degree.
The Bad Regional Accreditation do I plan to transfer the bad: Each school determines its own transfer of credit policy, so it's conceivable, but not likely, that a regional accredited school will not accept other regionally accredited schools credits/degrees. Armed-ed.com has not seen his happen.

		Students who attend Nationally Accredited Schools: May have difficulty transferring credits to regionally accredited schools, however some regionally accredited schools do accept nationally accredited degrees/transcripts. National accreditation is newer and isn’t as widely accepted as regional accreditation.
National Accreditation
The Good National Accreditation do I plan to transfer the good: Experience Counts: If you stay with one school, throughout, you shouldn't have a problem.
The Bad National Accreditation do I plan to transfer the bad: Experience Counts: The biggest complaints that Armed-ed.com has received is that national accredited credits that have been earned, students sometimes have trouble transferring those credits. If you plan on transferring to a specific school, ask that school, if they accept nationally accredited transcripts.

*Each individual institution sets and determines their own transfer of credit policy.*

In a nutshell, there are certain advantages to each type of accreditation, you have to decide which one fits your goals. After carefully considering, your available time, internet connectivity availability, and whether or not you plan on transferring. Hopefully this information will provide you with the what you need to make a decision.

*If you are looking to become a teacher, consider a regionally accredited school. Most states require that teachers have their degree from a regionally accredited university.*

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