Is Getting a High School Diploma Online Legit?
If the online high school diploma is a regionally accredited one, it is 100% legit! This is the shortest and most accurate answer!
It has to be remembered that attending an accredited online high school to earn an online high school diploma is as legitimate as attending a traditional high school to earn a traditional high school diploma.
However, you must confirm if you’re getting into something legit before actually getting into the online school. Diploma mills are common today. So, you need to keep a cautious eye!
Diploma mills are those online businesses that sell you a faulty and merit less high school diploma in exchange for a good amount of money. The thing is that they work real hard to appear legit. Most of these diploma mills just hand out diplomas without making the kid going face the common challenges.
How to spot a genuine online high school diploma?
Accreditation is the main indicator here. It does make all the difference. When an institution holds accreditation status, it has passed quality assurance standards of an independent, non-profit group. This group is called accreditation agency. In the U.S., both private as well as for-profit high schools need to meet standards set by accreditation agencies in each region.
How to know if accreditation is legit?
You must remember one thing: accreditation cannot be bought. It has to be earned. A school usually earns accreditation after multiple site visits, interviews, and a series of reviews. Also, it has to be maintained. The school authority needs to prove that it is credible on a periodic manner. Accreditation is something that needs to be renewed after multiple visits and reviews.
It is a fact that many schools and diploma mills claim that they are accredited. However, it is important for you to check the same, for your own sake. When an accreditation is legit, the school’s accrediting body must be on the list of approved a accreditation agencies. This list is usually published by the United States Department of Education.
Why to opt for an Accredited High School Diploma?
Your diploma is vital. It needs to be credential. A regionally accredited online high school diploma proves to other high schools, employers, colleges and universities that you did the hard work that was required by your high school. Keep in mind that accreditation is your high school’s credential. It clearly, is a symbol that it did the work required to educate you in the best possible manner.
When there is no accreditation, credits earned cannot be transferred. Also, your employers will not know if you learned enough to fulfill their job requirements. At the same time, colleges won’t know if you can do advanced-level coursework. Many colleges and universities do not accept students with diplomas from non-accredited high schools. This has to be kept in mind.
Dangers of taking non-accredited online classes
A genuine online high school is one that provides students with rigorous development and reviews. These make sure to provide an education that is equivalent or even better than that of a traditional high school.
However, not every online high school is the same. Diploma mills tend to trap you. These institutions take your money and give you a merit less piece of paper in return.
Taking classes from a non-accredited school is bad. The first reason is that you will not get quality education. When a school is not accredited, it either didn’t put in the effort to attempt accreditation or it could not pass the accreditation process. There are high chances that the school did not meet certain education standards. Thus, you will be taking classes from a school that has not proved yet that it imparts quality education.
There are some online high schools that give you a diploma as long as you pay their fee. Here, you usually will have to take a short multiple choice exam. There are some other non-accredited programs that claim to offer you a high school education but eventually, they don’t.
You cannot put a merit less diploma in use. This can lead to you feeling confused and frustrated. You might have to drop out of school or quit your job.
Most of the universities, colleges and employers do not accept the classes you took. This implies that, if you took classes at a non-accredited online school, they might not transfer to your regular high school. In case you receive a diploma from a non-accredited high school, most of the colleges and employers won’t accept it. This is mainly because colleges want students from accredited high schools. After all, it increases the likelihood that they received a challenging education.
When it comes to jobs and colleges, having a diploma from a non-accredited high school is about the same as not having a high school diploma in the first place. Thus, taking such classes can lead you towards a poor education.
Exceptions
Now, certain times, it might be not that bad to take classes at a non-accredited online high school. You must remember that there is still some risk involved if you tend to change your plans. If possible, go for an accredited school, without blinking twice.
In case you don’t plan on pursuing further education, you can go for a non-accredited diploma. Thus, it won’t concern you much if other schools do not accept your diploma. In case you are attending a technical school or certificate program, your qualifications will be based on a specialized test you need to pass. The accreditation does not come into picture here.
Also, if you are taking some classes for your own personal use and personal use only, you can take these classes. It won’t matter to you even if you do not get any academic credit for these classes. Thus, you might take these online classes for fun, to hone a particular skill, to supplement your education with online classes etc.
You must always check on the accreditation status. Do it before enrolling in an unaccredited online class. You must get confirmation in writing, if possible.
