Is Cosmopolitan University an accredited school with recognized degrees?

Answer 1

I'm gonna go with No. Let me explain that, in some detail.

(By the way, there was an earlier answer that said yes. I suspect it was posted by a shill for the school, and you'll see why I think that as the explanation proceeds.)

Most people think that accredited means accredited, that there is some government body that decides whether schools are accredited or not.

This is not, in fact, the case. Schools are accredited by accreditation agencies. There are lots of these, and some of them are more reputable than others.

Basically, you shouldn't just look to see if the school is accredited, you should look to see who it's accredited by. Ideally, what you'd like to find is that yes, the school is accredited by an accreditation agency which is itself recognized by the US Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

There are six regional accrediting bodies that are so recognized, and a handful of additional ones that are not specific to a particular region. Most state-run colleges and universities will be accredted by their regional accrediting body; some private colleges may be accredited by one of the other recognized accrediting agencies...

and then there are those that are "accredited" by, essentially, "Joe's Fly-By-Night Accreditation Service", whose motto is "If your check clears, you're accredited."

Generally speaking, schools that are really accredited by a recognized agency are justifiably quite proud of it and make a point of letting you know which one it is, so that you can then go check them out to make sure that they are, in fact, recognized and feel confident that the degree you get there will be regarded as legitimate by employers, other schools, and so forth.

Cosmopolitan? Not so much. In fact, from their website: "Although we cannot guarantee that our degrees will be accepted" ... does this SOUND like something a legitimately accredited school would say?

I do want to make one thing clear: I am not saying that any non-accredited school, or school whose accreditation does not trace back to USDOE or CHEA, is necessarily a scam or that the education provided there is worthless, especially if you're getting vocational training rather than a degree. It is, however, a factor to consider in your personal evaluation as to whether a particular school will help you meet your goals or merely give you an expensive piece of paper that employers and other schools will not accept.