Due to the current pandemic that is still on-going and seems to never end, a lot of people choose an online school where they can study at their comfortable couch without having to leave it. Not only that, this kind of school is best especially when most people have to be at home most of the time to prevent the virus from spreading.
For anyone who is interested in enrolling in an online Career School such as Penn Foster, you may want to know if it is legitimate so that you can make sure what you are paying for and what you are learning will help you get where you want to go. So, is Penn Foster Career School legitimate?
Apparently, a school is considered legitimate if it has license and accreditation. Usually, licensing is through a state or national body. If a school wants to get a license, it must meet certain requirements. The same thing applies for accreditation. This one is a public notification that an institution and program meets the quality standards of the accreditors. If there is no right license, recognition, and accreditation, it is possible for a school or a program to not be legitimate, making it hard for the students to succeed.
Does Penn Foster Career School have license and accreditation? The short answer to the question is yes. Penn Foster Career School has earned both regional and national accreditation. It means this school and programs have been evaluated against a predetermined set of criteria set forth by the accrediting body.
One of the Penn Foster schools, Penn Foster Career School, is regionally accredited for non-degree granting postsecondary programs by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA. 215-662-5603 www.msa-cess.org. This school has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training or IACET. During the process of getting this accreditation, this one has demonstrated that it fits the ANSI or IACET Standard that is recognized internationally as a standard of good practice. Thanks to their Authorized Provider status, Penn Foster Career School has the right to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI or IACET Standard.
What about licensing? As for licensing, Penn Foster Career School is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools, according to the official website of Penn Foster at pennfoster.edu.
In general, Penn Foster itself is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is more known as DEAC in short. The thing called DEAC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or CHEA.
With the license and accreditations that it has, it is safe to say that Penn Foster Career School is legitimate. If you are still not convinced, you may want to check out the answers given by some Quora users when asked if Penn Foster in general is legitimate or if it is a scam below:
- “Yes it is an accredited homeschool program. At the end of completeion you recieve a diploma accepted anywhere to work. Ive has my diploma for nearly 9 years now and havent had any problems.” – Jessie Jordan
- “Yes, I finished high school through there and went on to college. Never had any problems.” – Misty Mulcahy
- “If the meaning of this question is is it a real school, then the answer is yes. I graduated from Penn Foster High School in March of this year with High honors and am now in Penn Foster College for Vet Tech. I checked into this before I started at the Penn Foster High School to see if it would still count to universities and colleges and a couldn’t find one that would not accept a Penn Foster High School graduate. You get a diploma, and course/lesson results (i.e. report card).” – Marie Baileigh
- “It’s very legit. I had to submit official sealed transcripts and the classes and teachers are real as well. I’m still a student with four credits until graduation. This is also something I had to pay for. A whole $1000, so it better be legit. If you’re older like me, than the classes might seem very fast and somewhat easy. But if you’re a teenager, it might be slower going.”
“It really only took me about 5 months to complete everything in November of 2018 and I was able to walk with the 2019 graduating class. Since because I was able to graduate I now have a well paying job with great benefits and 401k. So very legit and not a scam.” – Jessica Cifelli - “Penn Foster is legit. I am currently studying there as a medical assistant to strengthen my medical background; and can say I’ve learned an immense amount of things from them. They are nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) which is recognized by the United States Department of Education to be among the recognized institutional accrediting agencies in the U.S. I’m attending their online career school. The career school is post secondary education. Higher education than high school, but lower than an academic degree. Which also means it’s inexpensive, but strengthens my medical knowledge and understanding, while giving me real life experience (160 hour externship required to graduate).” – N/A
- “Yes, Penn Foster High School is accredited. It is also one of the best high school all over USA. I am a Penn Foster high school graduate, and now study pilot training in Istanbul, and also at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University for aeronautical science credits by online. I am a distinguish example of Penn Foster.” – Saif Restifer Khomain
- “No, it’s accredited. You aren’t buying a diploma, you do school work and take tests for 3 years. Three of my children graduated from Penn Foster, 2 went on to college and the other one just graduated and got a job.” – Rose Brubaker
