Facts you didn't know about online education

The answer lies in huge advertising budgets for-profit online universities are spending to enroll students from around the world. Universities admit that they are spending more money on bringing in students than actually investing in teaching them. So much for the quality of education!

According to Bloomberg, for-profit colleges spend around or more than 31% of their budget on television advertisements, billboards, phone solicitation, and web marketing.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-24/senate-report-attacks-for-profit-college-tactics-quality-as-hearings-open.html
On May 4th 2010, the PBS public affair program FRONTLINE aired a documentary that revealed many secrets about renowned for-profit online universities and their unlawful practices. Mark Defuso, ex-director of an online university, reveals that his university allocated a bigger portion of their budget to sales and marketing than on their faculty. View FRONTLINE's documentary "College, Inc." below:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/view/

Another key factor that directly affects the cost of education is accreditation. One leading educational entrepreneur quotes that the cost of regional accreditation in the United States is around 10 million dollars and takes approximately 10 years, with a fifty percent chance of approval.

Why, then, an online university would want to get a regional accreditation, when online or on-campus universities have no legal compulsion to do so? The answer lies in the federal student grants which regional accredited colleges get.

Using the federal student grant, online universities are able to convince students to enroll in their high fee programs, which are usually three to four times higher than traditional or state colleges and universities.

With little or no amount to pay upfront, students cannot resist the temptation and sign up for a federal loan. The interest rates and the volatile job market then make it impossible for students to pay back the loans in their student-lives, forcing them to pay a large amount of their salaries to make up for the loan installment later on.

Frontline's documentary quotes a few such cases of lawsuits and hapless students who have already defaulted or were forced to pay back huge loans. Students like Sherry Haferkamp and Ann Cobb share their plight with Martin Smith and quote the debt amount to exceed $100,000. You can learn more about these unfortunate stories at the FRONTLINE's link given above.

The costs and time traditional accreditation bodies take in accrediting an institution does not resonate with this age of technology and information

And therefore, it's time that the regional and national accreditation issue is revisited. Institutions like IAO, on the other hand, provide accreditation score instead of drawing a pass/fail line. Furthermore, it is an international body that complements the framework of universities providing executive education online. The outstanding services provided by IAO fulfill all the requirements of a university operating in a global market place and fills in the void that regional accreditation fails to cater to. Also, they are an affordable and quick alternative and allow universities to invest more in quality education.

While choosing an online university, it is essential to know whether the money spent by mass-marketing colleges is well spent. Is their sole objective money making, or are they also serious about changing people's lives? As a student, you need to find the institution where you pay for the quality of education, not for the multimillion dollar advertising campaign.

At MUST University, we ensure that our students are safe from all manner of fraud and deceptions. The fee structure at MUST is almost four times less than a number of other online universities. The University also helps students and working professionals reduce their fee through a number of available options instead of convincing them to sign up for a loan. For more details on MUST's Tuition & Financial Aid, click here.




Our quality of education meets all international standards and we truly prepare our students to advance in all spheres of life. If you think our claim is bogus or unfounded, we invite you to take up a free course at MUST University and decide for yourself.

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