Check Accreditation in the Official Databases
Accreditation is a review of a school or program by an outside agency. In the US, the government does not accredit schools itself. It recognizes the agencies that do.
Where to look
- US Department of Education (DAPIP). The Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs lists schools and programs reported by accrediting agencies that the Department recognizes.
- CHEA database. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation keeps a second database of institutions and programs accredited by organizations that CHEA or the Department of Education recognizes.
How to read the result
- Match the accreditor. The agency named on the course website must be the agency the database lists. Diploma mills invent accreditors with official-sounding names.
- School versus program. Licensed fields such as nursing can need their own program accreditation. Check the program too.
- Non-credit courses. Many short courses and bootcamps are not accredited. That is normal, unless you need credit, federal aid or a license, or the seller claims accreditation the databases do not show.
- Ask the receiver. Before you pay, ask the school that would take your transfer credit, or the employer or licensing board that needs the certificate.
Read the Refund Policy Before You Pay
Save a dated copy of the written policy. A promise in a sales chat is hard to prove later.
Six questions to answer from the policy
- How many days? Find the refund window and the event that starts it: the purchase date, the course start date or your first login.
- What cancels the refund? Some policies end the refund once you watch a share of the lessons, download materials or take an exam.
- Is the certificate fee separate? Exam and certificate fees are often non-refundable even when the course fee is.
- Does it renew? A subscription can charge you again each month or year until you cancel. Note the renewal date.
- Full or partial? A pro-rata refund returns only the unused share.
- Who pays you back? If a payment plan or a third-party lender is involved, the loan can stay in place even after the course refund.
Schools that take federal student aid follow the Return of Title IV Funds rule (34 CFR 668.22): a student who withdraws after completing more than 60 percent of a payment period has earned all of that period's federal aid. The school's own refund policy is separate.
Course Cost Comparison Calculator
Compare up to three courses by total cost, cost per hour of content and the hours per week you need to finish on time.
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Course B
Course C
Method: total cost = price + certificate fee; cost per hour = total cost ÷ hours of content; hours per week = hours of content ÷ completion weeks. It does not measure quality. Educational tool, not financial advice.
A benchmark for "hours of content"
- Under the federal credit-hour definition (34 CFR 600.2), one semester credit hour reasonably approximates one hour of instruction plus at least two hours of out-of-class work each week for about 15 weeks. That is about 45 hours of student work.
- A 3-credit college course therefore implies about 135 hours of work. A 10-hour video course is under a tenth of that, whatever its certificate says.
- The same regulations (34 CFR 668.2) set full-time undergraduate study at a minimum of 12 semester hours per term, or about 540 hours of work.
Red Flags of a Diploma Mill or a Weak Course
The Federal Trade Commission lists these warning signs in its consumer guidance on college degree scams.
- No real coursework. No studying, no exams and no contact with instructors, but a degree or certificate at the end.
- A degree for life experience alone. Real schools can grant some credit for experience, but not a whole degree.
- Very fast completion. A degree promised in days, weeks or a few months.
- Pressure to buy. Spam, pop-up ads and high-pressure sales calls.
- A borrowed or invented name. A name close to a well-known college or university, or a believable-sounding foreign name. A .edu address does not prove a school is real.
- An accreditor you cannot find. The agency is not in the Department of Education or CHEA databases, or it does not list the school.
If a school still looks doubtful, the FTC suggests you ask your state attorney general's office whether it operates legally.
Questions About Choosing a Course
How do I check if an online school is accredited?
Search the school by name in the US Department of Education's Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP) and in the CHEA database. Then check that the accreditor named on the school's site is the same one the databases list.
Does a certificate course need to be accredited?
Not always. Many short non-credit courses and bootcamps are not accredited, and that alone is not a scam sign. It matters when you need college credit, federal student aid or a license, or when the seller claims accreditation it does not have.
What is a fair cost per hour for an online course?
There is no official benchmark. Compare courses with the same goal by total cost divided by hours of content, and add any certificate or exam fee to the total before you divide.