Over the course of the past ten months, I've acquired a good deal of information with regard to accreditation in general and greatly enjoyed various posts discussing the pros and cons of each type of accreditation. Others haven't enjoyed it as much--but sometimes a little more information can bring things into focus.
While looking up some information on AACSB accreditation I stumbled across the Rasmussen College web site which contained a very interesting chart detailing their perspective on National Accreditation (NA) vs. Regional Accreditation (RA) and their journey to acquire RA for their institution. It reminded me of an unrelated post I saw in another forum which I've pasted in below with some modification by me. I'd love to give credit to the originator but he goes by the screen name of JohnDoe! In any event, here's a link to the Rasmussen chart and some rough information that may be useful to people as they attempt to map out their higher education path.
Accredited Distance Learning Degree
One Man's Take on Accreditation
1. Regional accrediation. The Gold Standard.
This gets you in everywhere.
Schools and employers are all happy.
2. National Accreditation (Ex. DETC, CHEA, etc.). The Silver Standard.
This gets you in quite a lot of places, but not everywhere.
Some RA schools may allow you to transfer in credit from an NA accredited school, but many do not.
Most employers find it ok, but some don't.
3. State accredited degree
This is valid in the current state, but is most probably of no practical use outside the state in which it has been validated.
You most likely will have a problem transferring credits to institutions with NA and RA standards.
Most employers outside the state do not like this education.
4. Legal unaccredited degree
Totally unaccredited degree, but still legal.
Will most likely not transfer to accredited institutions or get you employed anywhere.
5. Illegal unaccredited degree
Totally unaccredited degree and illegal. The institution offering this has no authority to issue degrees. By using this degree, you can - in some states - go directly to jail.
6. Diploma Mills
"Send us your money, and we will ship you your diplomas in 5 days. Full satisfaction guaranteed".
Totally illegal, and you don't have to do anything but pay to get the diplomas (maybe state some rubbish about your previous experience etc.)