Avoid Marginal Online Colleges

According to the 2012 edition of The Best-Worst Online Degree Program Providers over 100 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 1 on a 1 to 5 rating scale.

Top rated schools can achieve the highest rating of 5. Almost a third of the over 400 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.
Prospective students 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 1 schools are really academically poor.
In addition to their rating, they have one other thing in common and that is 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 what the new entrants to the field perceive is a cash bonanza bandwagon. One of the sad commentaries about the marginal schools is that many potential learners are in a hurry for a degree.
They throw caution to the wind.
These degree at any cost students will opt to take what they think is the least difficult road to achieve their education goal.

On the other hand, many marginal unknown colleges, who are not so well known, are lying in wait for unsuspecting students that cannot easily tell because the school is accredited whether it is or is not a quality online provider.

Often, by the time an unsuspecting learner figures out the marginal school is an accredited diploma factory, its too late.

The Best-Worst Online Degree Program Providers eBook has been published continuously since 2002 and is a free download from several online sources. The ratings weigh heavily on the quality of education and experience of the faculty.