JIU named one of the Top 10 Online Universities in the World

Washington, D.C., (News Release Wire) September 16, 2008 - Five American universities have made the top ten of the best online universities in the world for the first time according to the 5th Edition of the BEST WORST IN ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS. The ratings are edited by online higher education pioneer, Professor Fred DiUlus.

DiUlus has been rating online colleges continuously since 2002. He started rating these institutions when there were barely 20 in existence and notes the list is growing rapidly. He states, "The popularity of online education will grow to unimaginable proportions." He predicts the number of schools rated will double and perhaps triple in less than two years.

"The hype that a degree from an online university somehow just does not measure up to a degree acquired by sitting in a traditional classroom for years just doesn't add up", offers DiUlus. "Our surveys consistently show that students who have experienced both types of learning rate an online education as superior, or at least equal to, that of a traditional experience by a margin of 70% of the time."

Each school's rating is based on the overall online program quality of content and delivery using a five point rating system that puts considerable emphasis on the experience of each institution's faculty. The top university is perennial #1, the University of London. It is followed by what DiUlus refers to as "the granddaddy" of US online universities and the top rated online university in the USA. Jones International, Indiana, USF, UMass, and Regent are all new additions to the top ten online educators list this year.

1. University of London
2. University of Phoenix
3. University of South Africa
4. University of Southern Queensland
5. Golden Gate University
6. Jones International University
7. Indiana University
8. University of South Florida
9. University of Massachusetts
10. Regent University

DiUlus says he leaves the measurement of a school's social value, research capabilities, sports programs, student popularity, curb appeal, and latest technology advancements to the hard core rating services that measure traditional schools. "Window dressing", DiUlus states, "is not one of my considerations."

Accreditation

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by higher ed institutions meets acceptable levels of quality. There are two types of accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education: regional accreditation and national accreditation.

Harvard, Michigan State, UCLA and JIU are regionally accredited and are considered traditional colleges or universities. There are six regional accrediting bodies, each responsible for maintaining educational quality assurance. One of the six is the North Central Association of which JIU is a member.

National accreditation generally applies to what can be considered a vocational college or institution where the primary focus is on a specialization, such as fine arts, trade or technology.

Students find greater ease and acceptance when they transfer credits from a regionally accredited school to another regionally accredited school. Often it's not as easy when transferring credits from a nationally accredited school to one that's regionally accredited.