Accreditation is the single most important factor in choosing an online degree program. Here's what it means, why it matters, and how you can verify it yourself before you ever enroll.
Before anything else, we want to be completely transparent: Professional Degree Scholarship is an independent admissions consultancy. We do not grant degrees, issue diplomas, or hold academic accreditation ourselves — because we are not a university. Our role is to advise students, evaluate transfer credit, and connect them with accredited partner universities in the United States that award the actual degree. Any accreditation status referenced on this site belongs to our partner universities, not to Professional Degree Scholarship.
In the United States, higher-education accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process through which independent accrediting bodies evaluate whether a college or university meets defined standards of academic quality. Institutional accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education review a university's faculty qualifications, curriculum, student outcomes, financial stability, and academic integrity on a recurring cycle. A university that holds accreditation from a recognized accreditor has been independently vetted against these national standards — it isn't simply a marketing claim.
You may come across both "regional" and "national" accreditation labels. Historically, regional accreditation has been the most widely recognized standard among traditional and online universities alike, and credits earned at regionally accredited institutions are generally the easiest to transfer between schools. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Education has moved toward a unified accreditation framework, but the underlying principle remains the same: recognized accreditation signals that an independent, government-recognized body has reviewed and approved the institution's academic quality.
Professional Degree Scholarship only builds advisory relationships with universities that hold accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Before we recommend any program to a student, our academic partnerships team confirms the university's current accreditation status. We also encourage every student to independently verify this information themselves — you should never have to take our word for it, or any advisor's word for it.
You can verify any US university's accreditation status yourself, free of charge, using official government resources — before you sign anything or make any payment. We recommend doing this as a standard step for any school you're considering, whether you found it through Professional Degree Scholarship or on your own.
We built this page because we believe an informed student is a protected student. Diploma mills and unaccredited "universities" often rely on applicants not checking credentials before enrolling and paying tuition. Whether or not you choose to work with Professional Degree Scholarship, we encourage you to verify accreditation directly through official government sources before enrolling anywhere.