The Educated New Years Resolution: Going back to college

People make New Year’s resolutions every year. Students who wish to complete their college degrees should be aware that this goal is achievable but that it requires careful research.

You should first confirm that the school you are interested in is accredited.

“The academic quality of any institution is directly tied to its accreditation, which is an independent review of a school’s educational programs to determine that the education provided is of uniform and sound quality,”David Hoftiezer is the director of Admissions at Thomas Edison State College. (www.tesc.edu “An institution that has earned accreditation ensures that it has met established standards of quality determined by the organization granting the accreditation.”

Regional accreditation is the most widely accepted and recognized type of accreditation in America. There are six regions in the U.S. that have an agency that regionally accreditations university and college higher-education programs.

* The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (institutions in Mid-Atlantic states and Puerto Rico)

* The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (institutions in New England states)

* The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Higher Learning Commission (institutions in the Midwest, Southwest and Rocky Mountain states)

* The Northwest Accreditation Commission (institutions in northwestern states)

* The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (institutions in the southern states)

* The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (institutions in California, Hawaii, territories of the Pacific and eastern Asia)

Your school should be accredited. Find out if you have to attend classes on campus if you are an adult returning from school. Ask about the acceptance of transfer credits and whether credit can be earned for previous learning.

The website provides more information on accreditation and institutional quality. National Advisory Committee on Institutional QualityIntegrity website.