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In their recent lawsuit, Everest College graduates complain that recruiters promised their credits would be honored at Utah's traditional universities. The school exploited confusion about national vs. regional accreditation to convince them that degrees were transferable, students say.
To protect themselves, students should assume their credits won't transfer to a public school unless proven otherwise, experts advise.
"I know it's kind of harsh," said Suzanne Wayment, the University of Utah's associate admissions director. "We want them to take courses that are parallel to what the University of Utah offers."
Several Everest graduates say they were shocked to learn that neither the state's flagship nor Salt Lake Community College will honor their hard-earned degrees, which cost them $30,000 or more.
Accreditation is the imprimatur of educational quality, awarded by third parties. Traditional colleges and universities are accredited by one of six regional bodies. Utah's are covered by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Everest College's accreditation comes from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.
Everest students allege recruiters touted the school's "national" accreditation as a sign of quality, when in reality such accreditation is second-rate. Traditional schools go through a much more rigorous accreditation, according to Judith Eaton, president of the Council of Higher Education Accreditation.
"Rightly or wrongly, a kind of hierarchy has developed, where regional accreditation is more valuable. Every world-class university is regionally accredited," Eaton said. "There is transfer activity, but it's within the regional sectors. But there are problems there, too."
Transfer students may petition the school to recognize their old credits, but the odds of success are low.
"Decisions are up to individual institutions. It's not up to accreditors or up to the government. These decisions are based on faculty judgment on the teaching level of content," Eaton said.