FAQs
The Universal
Council for Online Education Accreditation receives frequent
inquiries from the colleges, universities and other sources
about its accreditation procedure and its intricacies.
Below are answers given to some of the frequently asked
questions; however if you require any further information,
you may contact the Council Office at 
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Q.
What is Distance Education?
A. Distance education
is any learning that takes place with the instructor and student
geographically remote from each other. This instructional
delivery system connects learners with educational resources
and provides educational access to learners not enrolled in
educational institutions.
Distance Education usually takes place when the teacher and
the student(s) are separated by physical distance, and technology
(i.e., voice, video, data, and print), is used to bridge the
instructional gap.
Today courses are offered for academic, professional, and
vocational purposes for students of all ages. Distance education
is available in practically any field, while the courses also
vary greatly in scope, level, and length. Some have a few
assignments and require only a few months to complete, while
others have a hundred or more lesson assignments requiring
about three or four years of conscientious study.
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Q. What Does Accreditation Mean?
A. Accreditation
is a system or process for providing public confidence and
a tool for improvement used by educational institutions. It
promises a basic level of quality in an educational institution
through a process that examines a school's faculty, course
content, recruiting practices, admissions procedures, and
more.
The purpose of accreditation is:
 To
ensure quality education programs through the use of standards
and rigorous evaluation criteria;
To
stimulate institutions toward higher levels of quality and
efficiency;
To
provide a system for public trust and accountability;
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Q. Why Become Accredited?
A. Accreditation
is a process through which educational institutions voluntarily
participate in a recognition program that is administered
according to standards established by agencies composed of
educational experts. If an institution meets the standards
set down by the agency, it is acknowledged with accreditation
status.
Accreditation provides the institutes an opportunity to improve
thier educational quality. It provides a means of evaluating
and comparing your courses/programs, facilities, and procedures
with those of others. It involves a process whereby an accrediting
body grants public recognition to an institution as having
met certain standards. However, the greatest value of accreditation
is to be found in undergoing the process itself, a process
of self-evaluation in which an institution voluntarily monitors
and controls its own behavior to ensure that its programs
and policies embody standards of good practice.
Accreditation is purely voluntary. The applicant institution
voluntarily elects to apply for accreditation and it voluntarily
agrees to comply with all standards and policies of the Council.
Accreditation is a non-governmental peer review process in
which the integrity and good faith of an institution and its
officers are essential.
Institution must prove to the Accrediting Council that it
meets or exceeds the standards.
The Accrediting Council considers information about an applicant
institution from any source in reaching its conclusion.
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Q. How institutions are granted accreditation?
A. To gain accreditation, an institution
first conducts an internal survey to measure its criteria
against the standards set by UCOEA. The agency then holds an
evaluation process and either grants or denies accreditation
or pre-accreditation status.
If
awarded fully accredited status, the Council will periodically
re-evaluate the institution. The length of the initial accreditation
ranges from 18 months to several years.
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Q. Does accreditation guarantee that credits and degrees
can be transferred to another institution?
A. No. Transferability of credits and degrees
is a matter determined by the institution receiving the credits.
Transferability depends on several factors, among them are:
the institution at which credits or degrees were earned, how
well the credits offered for transfer mesh with the curriculum
offered by the institution to which the student wishes to
transfer, and how well the student performed in the courses.
Therefore anyone planning to transfer credits should first
consult the receiving institution about the transfer policies,
if possible, before taking the courses.
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Q. Does the Council recommend colleges to students?
A.The selection of a college is an individual
decision, based on each student's needs, interests and goals.
There are so many institutions that are offering degrees in
various fields that match the student's interest and abilities
but all of them are not accredited. So with the help of UCOEA
you can identify the qualified institutes among the many available
online.
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Does the Council maintain a record of the institutes
which it accredits or is going to accredit? Is it viewable?
Yes, UCOEA maintains a comprehensive catalog of institutes
that it accredits or is going to accredit. This catalog is
viewable (see the link given underneath). The institutes recognized
in this directory meet the eligibility criteria of UCOEA. The
degrees and programs of these institutions are acknowledged
as fully endorsed and accredited by UCOEA on the basis of their
adherence to UCOEA curriculum guidelines.
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