The decision to go to college is a big one. Getting a college education takes time and will cost you considerably. Luckily today you have more options than our parents used to have. For example, you now have a choice between enrolling in a traditional or online university. The latter option brings the advantage of flexibility, while also being a lot more affordable.

But before you go sign yourself up with any of the online degree programs out there, you should ask yourself a question: Is online education truly for me? Like anything in life online degree programs come with positive and negative aspects. So before you make a decision try these tips that will help you decide whether online education is for you or not.

Define your goals

Reasons for choosing an online education program instead of a traditional one include various reasons including the cost-friendly courses, having limited time due to family and work obligations or a desire for career advancement.

So before enrolling in an online university, students should define their expectations. What are you looking to achieve by taking online courses? Get a job promotion or simply gain some self-esteem? If you want to travel and see the world, surely online degree programs will not be the best match for you and you should start researching scholarship programs abroad instead.

See the offer

Maybe you?ve always wanted to study in a certain area, but for some reason you always put it off. It?s important to know that while the are many online degree programs offering courses to willing participants not all come with a stamp of approval that brings accreditation.

Without accreditation your degree might not be that appealing to grad schools or future employees, so make sure you apply for an accredited online university. We know it can get frustrating ? you stumble upon a great degree in your area of interest, only to realize the program is not accredited, but believe us when we tell you, non-accredited programs are not worth your time and money.

You want to be able to use your online education degree anywhere after graduation and having one from an institution in good standing will facilitate this outcome.

Search for scholarship programs

Finding a great scholarship is a good incentive to want to study at a certain online university. With tuition fees being quite high these days, a scholarship is always handy to have. Speaking of which you need to find out how tuition is handled at your online college of choice. Online education programs don?t have a universal method of charging students.

So before starting the program, you need to enquire how tuition is handled ? whether it is charged by the credit hour or year or one lump sum.

These are but a few suggestions to help you decide whether you should embark on a journey with online education or maybe follow the more traditional route. In the end it?s truly up to you if you decide to continue on this path, but make sure you go through the stages listed above.