Free College Info

Going back to school to earn a college degree, diploma or professional certification is certainly a step in the right direction and will greatly increase your career opportunities. Most people today can not afford to leave their jobs even to get a much needed college degree and as a result enrolling in an accredited online college degree program is rapidly becoming the number one choice for full time workers. Trying to decide which online college to choose can seem like an impossible task. You certainly want to make sure that the degree you get will be recognized by the industry you will be working in. Most accredited colleges will be only too happy to send you their free college info kit for you to look through at your leisure.

One of the first steps to take is to receive free college info and search for colleges by degree title or your desired occupation. This will show you all the colleges that offer programs relevant to your career path. In most cases you can simply click on a request college information button to have all their material sent directly to you. You will often be given the choice to speak to a college adviser who can answer many of your questions and will be able to send you the information you are looking for. Keep in mind that all printed material that you request should be free of charge.

Once you have received your free college info from several accredited online schools, take some time to review them carefully. It is a good idea to make a check list of the important things to look for in each college brochure such as:

• Enrollment and application deadlines
• Types of degrees and certification being offered
• Student financial aid application
• Professional accreditation
• A variety of course delivery methods
• Application fees

Always check to make sure that the application fee is a one time requirement only and that you will not be charged an application fee with each course you register for. Find out what methods each college uses to deliver your course material. Most online community colleges and online technical colleges offer their material via a combination of internet, CD, regular mail and e-mail.

It is important to make note of all application and enrollment deadlines to ensure you have adequate time to gather all required paperwork. Much of this information can be found in free college info packages distributed by reputable colleges. Your college information kit should contain a list of all supporting documentation that you will need to send along with your application, the most common ones requested are:

• Original School transcripts, including college transcripts from other schools
• Any college preparatory courses you may have taken in high school
• Personal essays
• SAT test scores are sometimes requested as well

One of the most important details to research is the college accreditation. Since accreditation can be a complicated process do not simply rely on the college brochures stating that they are an accredited online school. Proper accreditation will ensure that the degree you receive will be recognized by the industry you plan to work in. Canada and the United States have different college accreditation requirements, the following sites will give you the information you need to help you choose the right online college:

In Canada go to:

• The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
• Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
• Canadian Education and Training Accredited Commission

In the United State you can visit the following sites:

• The National Accrediting Agency
• The Regional Accreditation for Online Schools