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In 2006 the United States Congress eliminated the long standing “fifty percent rule” that had required colleges, schools and universities to offer at least fifty percent of their classes in the classroom environment. What this ruling did was open up a huge number of opportunities and validation to the hundreds of distance learning institutions, as well as the online colleges and universities that had been attracting more and more students in the previous years.

After the decision was set down, the way was open for federal financial aid to become available to students in the “non traditional” academic environments of online and distance learning. True diversity for education was created by the elimination of the fifty percent requirement, and today thousands of students can do an online college search knowing they can seek financial assistance for their goals.

For an online college search to be valid however, a student needs to select only from accredited schools, colleges and universities. These are the only institutions for which a student can receive loans and aid.

Accreditation is a hot topic when discussing the distance and online learning environment, and this is because it presents quite a dilemma to many naïve or unaware students.

Accredited schools go through a very rigorous period of preparation, peer review, analysis and judgment before they receive their approval from an accreditation association or commission. The schools are reviewed for the quality of their teachers, curriculum, materials, policies and standards. In this way a non-traditional college, such as an online school, will be guaranteed to provide exactly the same level of education as a college or university that uses the strictly classroom teaching environment.

A non-accredited school simply opens its doors, states its “mission” or goals and begins issuing diplomas – this is why these groups tend to be referred to as “diploma mills”. The government does not recognize these schools as providers of quality education or valid academic credentials.

Since the 2006 ruling over two thousand schools have been receiving federal student aid to allow hundreds of thousands of students reach their academic or personal and professional goals.

The popularity of the online environment comes from several factors – first is the convenience it provides as students can study and “attend” class at their own pace and within their own unique schedule. This comes as a great “boon” to full time parents and workers.

Secondly, individuals who are homebound, without transportation, in rural areas, and in the military can all attend their college classes without fail. This is one of the underlying reasons that the Congressional ruling was passed, emphasizing that traditional campus style colleges and universities were no more “legitimate” than those seeking to educate people in unusual or difficult living circumstances.