Is Jefferson highschool online is legal?

Answer 1

Jefferson on-line high school is not an accredited school and will not be accepted at any college or university

I work for a major University, and I have had to turn away numerous students who applied and had this high school listed. It is not accredited and no major college or university will accept this.

Checking Out Academic Credentials

Federal officials recommend that you always check academic credentials, even when the school they're from is well known. Some applicants may falsify information about their academic backgrounds rather than about their work history, possibly because employers are less likely to check with schools for verification or to require academic transcripts.

Here's how to verify academic credentials:

1. Contact the school. Most college registrars will confirm dates of attendance and graduation, as well as degrees awarded and majors, upon request. If the applicant gives permission, they may provide a certified academic transcript. If you aren't familiar with the school, don't stop your research just because someone answers your questions on the phone or responds with a letter. Some diploma mills offer a "verification service" that will send a phony transcript to a prospective employer who calls.
2. Research the school on the internet. Check to see if the school is accredited by a recognized agency. Colleges and universities accredited by legitimate agencies generally undergo a rigorous review of the quality of their educational programs. If a school has been accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, it's probably legitimate. Many diploma mills claim to be "accredited," but the accreditation is from a bogus, but official sounding, agency they invented.

   You can use the Internet to check if a school is accredited by a legitimate organization at a new database of accredited academic institutions, posted by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) at the Related Link below. (There are a few legitimate institutions that have not pursued accreditation.)

   To find out if an accrediting agency is legitimate, check the list of recognized national and regional accrediting agencies maintained by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at the Related Link below.

   Look at the school's website. Although it is prudent to check out the school on the Internet, it's not always easy to pick out a diploma mill based on a quick scan of its site. Some diploma mills have slick websites, and a "dot-edu" Web address doesn't guarantee legitimacy. Nevertheless, the website can be a source of information. Indeed, federal officials say it's probably a diploma mill if:

   • tuition is charged on a per degree basis, rather than per credit, course, or semester
   • there are few or unspecified degree requirements, or none at all
   • the emphasis is on degrees for work or life experience, and
   • the school is relatively new, or has recently changed its name.

Check other resources. There is no comprehensive list of diploma mills on the Web because new phony credentialing sources arise all the time. However, the Oregon Student Assistance Commission's Office of Degree Authorization (OSAC) maintains a list of organizations it has identified as diploma mills at the Related Link below. Another way to check up on a school is to call the registrar of a local college or university and ask if it would accept transfer credits from the school you are researching.

1. Ask the applicant for proof of the degree and the school's accreditation. If you don't get satisfactory answers from the school itself and the accreditation sites on the Web, ask the applicant for proof of the degree, including a certified transcript, and the school's accreditation. Ultimately, it's up to the applicant to show that he earned his credentials from a legitimate institution.

For More Information

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair practices in the marketplace and to provide information to businesses to help them comply with the law. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit it's website at the Related Link below or call toll free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure on-line database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

From other contributors:

• This school is WHACK. They totally ripped me off. I passed the test with straight A's. When I tried to use it to go to college they pretty much laughed at me. DO NOT USE THIS SCHOOL at all PLEASE you will LOSE YOUR MONEY

• IT IS SCAM. PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU STAY AWAY

From other contributors:

Yea, this school is a total scam. I friend of mine got a high school diploma from so called 'Jefferson high school''. He was able to use it to get a job at this company but I don't think that he would be able to use it for college because colleges will check the schools credentials. I WAS RESEARCHING THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS SCHOOL AND I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY GOT SCAMMED BY THIS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL TO ANYONE. STAY AWAY FROM IT......

PENN FOSTER HIGH SCHOOL ONLINE/HOMESTUDY IS A REALLY GOOD SCHOOL, I'M WORKING ON MY HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM THEM. THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA IS NATIONALLY AND REGIONALLY ACCREDITED. THEY ARE A REAL HIGH SCHOOL. GO TO PENN FOSTER.EDU TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEM, ALSO, RESEARCH THE INTERNET FOR YOURSELF ABOUT THIS SCHOOL. A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT GOT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA GOT INTO COLLEGE... I WILL BE GETTING MINE DIPLOMA FROM THEM IN ABOUT A MONTH OR TWO.

Answer 2

This school is fake. When you are thinking about a school of any kind, check the school out with CHEA,DETC, USDOE, or the BBB. These organizations will provide you with a list of real, Regionally accredited on-line and public schools. These organizations will also provide you with a list of fake schools or diploma mills.

Answer 3

Accreditation by an independent national agency is not required for schools listing themselves as private. Jefferson has not applied for accreditation at this time, as explained in their site page on accreditation [see link]. This does not automatically indicate or prove that the school is not 'legit', or that the school is sub-standard. But the lack of accreditation should cause most people to be cautious about investing time and resources with them. For example, you may want to get education at the college level, and it would be unfortunate if the college you choose does not accept credit from a non-accredited high school. Do more research, and if there are colleges that you would like to consider, you might inquire now about their policy regarding secondary schools that are not accredited. It would be reasonable to ask Jefferson for the names of some colleges and other post high school programs (2 year technical or professional training programs for example) where Jefferson students have been accepted. You are not asking for student identities, just schools accepting Jefferson graduates. Contact those colleges and schools to verify that Jefferson students have been accepted there.

If you do find an online high school that claims accreditation, be sure to contact the accrediting agency listed, and contact several different agencies to make sure the one claimed by the school really exists and is credible.