Recently, a significant amount of local and national scrutiny has been directed toward the recruitment and educational practices of many for-profit and proprietary schools.

Recent congressional hearings, as well as stories in The Tribune, report that thousands of people enroll in for-profit colleges and universities that make promises they cannot keep and guarantees they have no intention of honoring.

These issues focus on the transferability of credit, their record of educational quality and student learning outcomes, and the staggering loan debt accumulated by many of their students.

A college degree is recognized as an important element in achieving professional success, and unfortunately some organizations are willing to exploit that fact for their own gain. While most colleges and universities, including for-profit or proprietary schools, can help students get the education, skills and learning they will need for their future success, there are many institutions designed to simply provide people with a degree for a price.

One key consideration is whether or not a college or university is regionally accredited. I encourage all prospective students and parents to do their research.

There are seven regional accreditation organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit postsecondary institutions within the United States. In Utah and Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is the recognized regional accreditation authority.

Regional accreditation is a process and a designation that recognizes higher educational institutions for their performance and integrity to ensure public confidence in the institution's ability to demonstrate high standards of quality.

Regional accreditation also plays a fundamental role in facilitating student mobility between institutions and enhancing an institution's credibility with its peers.

If you're considering going to college, especially to one that makes promises about job placement, there are a few questions you should ask. First, check on the actual accreditation status of the institution you are considering attending. For example, if regional accreditation is an important criterion in your selection of a college or university, you can go to the NWCCU website at www.nwccu.org and click the directory of institutions to see what institutions, and at what degree levels, institutions in Utah are regionally accredited or are in candidate status.

Second, if you are planning on attending a college with the intention of transferring credit to another institution, contact the registrar's office of the transfer institution to validate its acceptance of credit and specific program requirements for the program you intend to complete at the transfer institution.

Third, check some basic information. Can students be admitted even if they do not have a high school degree or a GED? What is the average student debt at graduation?

What firms have hired their graduates (and then call the human resources departments at those firms and confirm the information you were given).

Finally, use your common sense. If what an institution promises sounds too good to be true, it usually is not true.

A good education requires hard work regardless of the learning format (classroom- based, day/evening, online, low-residency) and placement or pursuit of graduate studies is often tied to the reputation of the institution and the knowledge, skills and competencies you can demonstrate as a graduate.

James "Cid" Seidelman is chairman of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and provost of Westminster College.