According to the 2011 edition of THE BEST WORST ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS over 80 accredited online college providers are marginal at best. They provide little academic rigor and virtually no chance of transfer to a top tier university for an advanced degree.

Each of these marginal online providers of degrees are rated a number One on a One to Five rating scale. Top rated schools can achieve the highest rating of number Five. Almost a third of the over 300 schools currently rated and ranked are found in the poorest category.

The list of marginal online colleges is expanding rapidly. The worst list has grown exponentially as more and more traditional schools have climbed on the bandwagon over the years. Marginal online programs of universities attract many non-traditional students returning to school and in a hurry for a degree. They throw caution to the wind and will opt to take what they think is the easy road to achieve satisfaction so long as the word “accredited” is found to accompany the rated university’s name.

Most number One schools are really academically poor. In addition to their rating, they have one other thing in common and that is a marginal faculty. Online faculty, according to top online schools, should be every bit as good as traditional faculty and carry equal or better credentials. It appears the current group of online marginal colleges is just throwing together faculty and degree programs left and right. The motive it seems is to keep up and get in on the cash bonanza bandwagon they perceive is ahead.

The biggest players in the Peanuts, Popcorn, Online Degrees game are those universities that really stand out. Students dedicated to getting a real education know who they are and how to avoid them. One of the sad commentaries about the marginal schools is that many potential learners are in a hurry for a degree and throw caution to the wind. They will opt to take what they think is the easy road to achieve their education goal.

Many marginal unknown colleges are lying in wait and laying the trap for unsuspecting students that cannot see whether the target institution is or is not a quality online provider. Often, by the time an unsuspecting learner looking for the quick and easy figures out the school is an accredited diploma factory, it’s too late.

The eBook, published continuously since 2002, is a free download from several online sources. It weighs ratings heavily on the quality and experience of each university’s online faculty.
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Dr. Fred DiUlus - author, educator, and online education pioneer is the father of online college ratings and rankings, He is Director and CEFE Fellow at the Center for Ethics in Free Enterprise and the CEO and Founder of Global Academy Online, Inc., education consultants and university builders.