Not only is making sure that your college is regionally accredited is important, you need to also look into whether the school is a for profit or a traditional non-profit. There are only 2 for profit schools that are highly respected for the distance learning programs: Argosy University and Walden University.
I personally got suckered into a for profit university in 1991 with then Fort Lauderdale College. They gave me the spiel that they were in the process of becoming a university, regionally accredited, and their athletic teams becoming part of the NCAA. Well, only 1 out of the three was realized. In 1994, they became Florida Metropolitan University. In 2007, they changed their name to Everest University.
I am actually starting now researching schools for doctoral programs in psychology. Argosy University and Walden University are two of the leading candidates. Argosy University is accredited with the American Psychological Association. While with Walden University, a few of my past professors have received their Ph.D’s from their.
Schools that I will ignore like the plague are University of Phoenix. While investigating schools I stopped by a campus and the admissions rep was so eager to get me to enroll right then and there. She even persisted by calling and emailing me to see if I made a decision. A normal, traditional university does not put on this type of high pressure sales technique on their prospective students. That actually turned me off, and got them taken out of consideration.
Take the time to investigate your school because it is an “investment” in your future.