Are affordable online bachelors degrees as good as more expensive programs?

In a lot of different areas of life, it is generally regarded that something that costs less is a lower quality than the more expensive option of the same item. Thankfully, this is not the case at all when it comes to your higher education. All schools are held to high standards by the state in which they operate, as well as their accrediting bodies, to ensure that regardless of the price tag, the courses and services offered are just as good or better than other schools. An affordable online bachelors degree is a great opportunity for you to catch a financial break and pursue your goals.

Often, people deal with the stigma that a product that is more affordable is presumably of a lesser quality than one that is more expensive; there are very few times in life that this is true. Most of the time, the cheaper product on the shelves is the same thing as the more expensive one, just in a different packaging. This is mostly true in other areas as well, like when it comes to online bachelors degrees. Tuition has been rising at an alarmingly high rate since the 1980’s, and it isn’t projected to turn around anytime soon. Because of this, many students have found themselves constantly on the lookout for any financial break they can get in the pursuit of their higher education. In doing so, many worry that a cheaper education doesn’t always mean a good one, but that simply isn’t the case. Each state has individual requirements that they place on their colleges and universities to ensure their legitimacy. In addition to meeting these requirements, a school must also be accredited. Accreditation is entirely voluntary on the part of the college or university; however, it is mandatory that they are accredited to be considered a legitimate institution that is eligible to confer degrees upon its students. Accrediting agencies are generally back by the United States Department of Education, and each one has different requirements. Schools can be accredited at the regional or national level, or they can have individual programmatic accreditations from a variety of organizations. By making sure your chosen institution of higher education is accredited, you can be sure that they are also recognized as legitimate institutions at a national level. Accreditation requirements are varied, but they generally include restrictions on a minimum amount of instructional hours per semester, they also require a certain degree of certification for faculty members, and they also look into student satisfaction rates at each institution making sure that they are retaining students, that students are going on to graduate and complete their programs to earn a degree, and also that a certain percentage of students would say their college or university met or exceeded their standards. Price is not a requirement imposed by any accrediting body or state, so some schools do run exponentially cheaper than others, but this says nothing of how well equipped they are to grant you a bachelors degree after you complete your program.