25 Incredible Sites to Learn How to Transfer College Credits

When choosing a university, there is far more to it than rankings. Other items such as major sought and accreditation also have to be factored in. But one of the most pressing questions for the thousands of students who wish to transfer schools every year is: how do I do it while maintaining as many of my credits as possible?

With no one easy answer for the question, it is important to learn as much as possible to keep students from having to retake classes at their new school which costs both time and money. To help, we have gathered 25 incredible sites to learn how to transfer college credits. You can learn more about your current school, future transfers, and even get special help for those outside of the traditional transfer credit questions such as high school students and military personnel. Continue reading

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The Student’s Complete Guide to Understanding College and University Rankings

Ever since there have been schools of higher education, there have been systems to rank them. And students in the 2.0 generation are no exception. Finding the right online school for you can be one of the most important decisions you ever make in your life, so it is as important to research them as much as possible. One of the most common and longest running ways of choosing schools involves utilizing the various college and university ranking systems. And with the internet providing instant access to them, the overload of information can be both a blessing and a curse.

Before you view any ranking system, it is important to determine the factors in an online school that are important to you. For example, some students prefer smaller class sizes to decreased tuition, while others are seeking a lower student to teacher ratio or a school that specializes in the major of their choice. Students who are transferring credits into the online college or university or who plan to transfer credits out should also review the school’s policy on transfer credits before deciding on one. Helping determine what is important to you will greatly help when taking in data from various entities that rank colleges and universities.

Defining College or University Rankings

Before considering which colleges and universities to apply to, it is important to learn about which factors are important when getting an education and ultimately a career in your field. Below are a few of the items students should know about a potential school and when taking in college and university rankings.

  • Accreditation – This principle is also important for online schools just as in the traditional, on campus types. Accreditation means the school has been measured for education given to students in exchange for tuition dollars and makes it official in the eyes of other schools and employers. An easy way to see if a school is accredited is to look it up on the Department of Education’s official database.
  • Licensure and/or Certification – If your career path of choice requires a license or certification, such as nurse or ultrasound technician, make sure that the school you are considering qualifies its students to take any licensure or certification exams.
  • Financial Aid – Did you know that most students qualify for some kind of financial aid? If tuition cost is more than a passing concern for you, be sure and see if the college or university ranking you are looking at takes financial aid into account. Financial aid for online students can come in the form of both grants and scholarships, as well as work for study or student loans.
  • Remember that any credible college ranking will show what its criteria is for ranking schools and share them up front so that students and parents know how the ranking order has come about.

    Choosing a College and University Ranking

    Now that you know the basics on choosing and understanding college and university rankings, we have listed a few below. They include some well-known and honored ranking systems, as well as a few newer ones that offer different perspectives.

    1. U.S. News & World Report – They have been rating schools for decades and continue to do so in these rankings. Highlights include getting rankings for specialty schools such as liberal arts, best value schools, and of course, online options. They also have loads of lists such as “Top 10 Highest College Application Fees” and “4 Tips for College Transfer Students.”
    2. OEDb – This ranking entity focuses just on the online schools. They use eight different criteria to determine rankings including acceptance rate, financial aid, graduation rate, and others. You can also check out their past rankings.
    3. Get Educated – They bill themselves as “the consumer’s guide to online colleges.” There are several rankings to choose from including best buy degrees, best in student’s satisfaction, and even best in public perception. Be sure not to miss their blog and forum with more.
    4. Times of Higher Education – Because the U.S. isn’t the only nation with colleges and universities, check out this ranking system. They take universities from across the world and rank them all here. You can also search by subject or region.
    5. Find a College – College Board is a site that hopes to send more students to college. In this section, they have valuable tools for helping match students with the right colleges for them. You can also view best colleges by majors and careers, as well as for any extra-curricular activities you might enjoy.

    And the above are only a few of the college and university rankings available. However, with rankings constantly changing and different breaking stories, it is also important to get up to date information on these rankings, rather than just waiting for next year’s list to come out. Luckily, there are many blogs and sites out there to help.

    One of the best known blogs out there on college and university rankings is Morse Code by Bob Morse of U.S. News & World Report. He develops the methodologies and surveys for the rankings and has more to add in his blog. Washington Monthly also has a College Guide with loads on a behind the scenes look at colleges and universities, including rankings.

    There are also individual blogs that can help students more information on college and university rankings, such as University Ranking Watch. It is a blog devoted to the analysis and discussion of university rankings and even has links to many other rankings across the globe. Good University Ranking Guide specializes in rankings for MBA students but also offers rankings in other areas of study and even in other countries. Other bloggers, such as John V. Lombardi, intensely follow the world of higher education and are constantly analyzing new data with expert views. And if the above don’t give you exactly what you’re looking for, try a specialty search. For example, there is this ranking from Lynn O’Shaughnessy that is specifically for financial aid in colleges and universities.

    Once you have seen the college and university rankings and have narrowed down your schools to a handful, it is a good idea to apply to them all. This often comes with application fees and loads of paperwork, but it is worth the effort to see which schools you are accepted into. Once accepted, students can learn more about the school, including how much tuition will cost out of pocket, transfer credit policy, work for study options, and other factors that can make deciding on a school much easier.

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    The Returning Student’s Complete Guide to an Online Degree

    College is an investment of time, money and work. No matter if you attend a bricks-and-mortar college or if you want to obtain an online degree, you might conduct some research to learn more about colleges and the academic degrees those institutions offer. But, an online degree often poses questions that few people would ask about a traditional college education. So, we’ve compiled those questions in this complete guide to an online degree for returning students. Continue reading

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    10 Most Prestigious and Authoritative Worldwide College Rankings

    College rankings become less and less relevant with an economy that can’t churn out enough jobs for graduates. While college rankings like best party school have made headlines in recent years, here’s a look at the tried and true worldwide college rankings. Whether they appear online or in a magazine, these prestigious and authoritative worldwide college rankings have the usual suspects at the top of their lists and break down further rankings by major, student experience or job placement. Continue reading

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    25 Enlightening Q&A Sites for Educators, Teachers and Students

    If you are seeking answers about various studies in classes or online or information about how to finance that education, you have access to several question and answer sites online. Educational resources, especially those questions pertaining to specific educational studies, also abound in Q&A formats. But, it is harder for educators to find relevant question and answer sites. That said, educators have access to other resources, including online magazines, blogs and journals that can answer tough questions for teachers. Continue reading

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    Top 25 Sites to Get Statistics on Colleges and Universities

    From the celeb with the most Twitter followers to blog posts with the most Diggs, the internet has fast become a place to rank and list the best in just about everything. However long before the days of the web, students and their families were in search of the best colleges and universities via statistics on student population, acceptance rates, grade point average, etc. And now there is an entirely new way to rank them: online. But this isn’t another of those articles where the best in schools of higher learning are listed.

    This is where the sites that rank the schools themselves are put to the test. So without further ado, check out the below top 25 sites to get statistics on colleges and universities. Whether you’re looking for the best bang for your buck or best party to go with all that studying, they have information, statistics, and even rankings for all to enjoy. Continue reading

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    50 Educational Blogs Every Online University Student Should Read

    If you’re studying for a degree online, it might help to know what educators know about online learning — the news, policies, processes, technology, culture and resources that are pushing online education into the future. The following 50 educational blogs you should know about as an online university student are just a smattering of all the blogs available on the Web. These particular blogs are updated, and many have been online since the advent of online learning. Continue reading

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    20 Best Old-School Educational Video Games

    When you think about video games, you don’t usually think about them being educational. However, from puzzle games that can be played to help you improve your mind power, to games that overtly teach you math and develop reading skills, video games can actually aid educational efforts. While you probably won’t get a college scholarship due to your efforts at gaming, you can improve your knowledge.

    But the really cool games, at least for us old school gamers, were found from the days 15- 20 years ago. Some of the classics were educational and fun. And, since video games were a novelty, we’d play just to play. Today’s kids know exactly what you’re trying to pull when you plop a Leap Frog in front of them. And some of them won’t stand for that sort of educational value. If you are interested in a little trip down memory lane, you can check out the following 20 old-school educational video games:

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    The History of Online Education in America: The Ultimate Web Guide

    It may surprise you to learn that online education, or materials presented over the Internet to provide instruction on any given subject, was used by students before home computers became popular. University of Illinois scientists created a classroom system based in linked computer terminals in the 1960s. While this first online learning experience — now also called E-learning — did not match the Web learning offered today, it was a landmark experience in online education. Continue reading

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    Top 40 Video Web Sites for Teachers

    Learning can come from books, or it can come from streaming TV interviews about books and authors. Video produced by universities, major television networks and organizations all provide entertaining and enlightening shows, lectures and films that can enhance learning experiences for students of all ages. The following top 40 sources for open courseware videos (meaning they are no charge and educational) are categorized and listed in alphabetical order within those categories. Continue reading

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