Accreditation
Accreditation is a process that colleges go through to ensure their programs are evaluated for quality assurance and to help students make the best choice for their education. Learn more about how StraighterLine works with accredited partner institutions to offer students a path to transferring college credit on their way to earning a degree.
Our Innovation: A New Path to College Credit
StraighterLine pioneered low-cost online education for learners to have an alternative, affordable pathway to earn college credit. Because StraighterLine does not offer full degrees, we cannot seek accreditation. This allows us the ability to offer affordable and flexible courses in ways accredited colleges cannot.
At StraighterLine, we believe students need access to an affordable education that provides far more. That is why we are 100% committed to providing our students with an affordable path to transferring college credit to accredited institutions.
Why is StraighterLine So Affordable?
StraighterLine also does not need to support expensive facilities with high-priced tuition. We can offer courses on a monthly subscription. We can offer 24/7 tutoring and advising support. We can focus on its mission – offering low-cost and low-risk entry pathways for students seeking degrees and career advancement.
How Does StraighterLine Demonstrate the Quality of Its Courses?
We have found ways other than accreditation to demonstrate the quality of our courses. StraighterLine asks respected third parties like the American Council of Education (ACE) to review and recommend our courses. We use only content and services that are used extensively by colleges. We build our assessments and processes with a greater level of reliability and validity than most college courses. Finally, we’ve been around long enough to have research showing that students who transfer StraighterLine credits to colleges are more likely to persist to a degree than those who don’t.
Our Courses: ACE Credit Recommendation
StraighterLine courses go through an intensive quality review process by the American Council on Education (ACE) to receive recommendations for ACE Credit prior to being available to students. All of our courses have received these recommendations, with the exception of a small set of college prep and certification training courses like Developmental Writing, Introductory Algebra, and Net+ (CompTIA).
Once you have completed a StraighterLine course, you are eligible to receive an ACE Transcript for credit transfer purposes. Thousands of colleges and universities consider ACE Credit recommendations in determining the applicability to their schools course and degree programs.
Our Partner Colleges: An Accredited Network
All 150+ StraighterLine Partner Colleges are accredited, and many of them rank in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. Partnering with accredited schools allows students to take individual online courses through StraighterLine and then transfer them directly into the accredited college where they plan on earning their degree.
The degree they then earn from an accredited partner institution will also meet quality education standards.
Our Better Business Bureau Rating: A+
StraighterLine currently holds an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). BBB upholds a mission of setting standards for marketplace trust, supporting business best practices, and creating a community of trustworthy businesses. They review and accredit businesses to give consumers confidence that they're dealing with an ethical and vetted business.
How Are BBB Ratings Assigned?
BBB assigns ratings from A+ (highest) to F (lowest). These ratings represent the BBB’s opinion of the business and how they’re likely to interact with customers, based on information the BBB is able to recover about the business (including a history of any complaints) both directly from the business and any public sources.
To receive an A+ rating, a business must score a 97 or higher out of 100.