Are Online Degrees Respected by Employers?

You are thinking about an online degree, maybe because you work full time, have kids, or live far from a campus. One worry keeps coming back: will employers take it seriously, or will they quietly toss your resume?

The honest answer is that employers rarely care whether you studied in a lecture hall or on a laptop. They care whether the degree is real, whether the school is legitimate, and whether you can do the job. The trouble is that “online degree” covers everything from flagship state universities to outright diploma mills.

This guide explains what employers actually check, where online degrees can still raise questions, and how to choose a program that will hold up on your resume.

The short answer: legitimacy matters more than format

Online learning is now mainstream in US higher education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in fall 2022 about 53% of postsecondary students, or 10.1 million people, took at least 1 distance education course. About 4.9 million, roughly 26% of all students, studied exclusively at a distance.

With that many students learning online, including at well-known public and private universities, an online program is no longer unusual on a resume. What still worries employers is a degree from a school they can’t verify or that turns out to be fake.

Key takeaway: Employers judge the school, not the delivery method. An online degree from an accredited, recognizable institution is treated like any other degree from that school. An unaccredited or unknown “online university” is what gets resumes rejected.

What employers actually check

Most hiring processes look at a handful of things. Delivery format is rarely one of them.

Accreditation by a recognized agency

Accreditation is the baseline. In the US, the Department of Education doesn’t accredit schools itself. It recognizes accrediting agencies, and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a private organization, recognizes accreditors too. A degree from a school accredited by a recognized agency signals that it met quality standards. Our step-by-step guide on how to check if an online college is accredited shows how to look this up in minutes.

The school’s name and reputation

If the online degree comes from a university with a physical campus and a familiar name, it carries that school’s reputation. At many schools, the online and on-campus programs lead to the same degree. Ask the admissions office whether the diploma or transcript mentions the delivery format, since practices vary.

Degree verification

Many employers run education checks through background screening services or contact the school’s registrar directly. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises employers to contact schools directly, since most registrars will confirm attendance dates, degrees awarded and majors. A real, accredited school can be verified quickly. A diploma mill often can’t, or uses fake “verification services”.

Licenses and certifications

For licensed jobs such as nursing, teaching, counseling, social work and many health roles, the license matters as much as the degree. Employers will check that you hold the right state license, and the program you choose must qualify you for it.

Skills and experience

In the end, most interviews focus on what you can do. A portfolio, internships, projects and work experience often matter more than where or how you studied. If you’re moving into tech, our guides on writing a tech resume and building a tech portfolio show how to make skills visible.

When an online degree can raise questions

Online degrees are broadly accepted, but a few situations deserve extra care.

• Unaccredited schools. This is the biggest risk by far. Credits may not transfer, graduate schools may reject the degree, and employers may not count it.
• Diploma mills. The FTC warns that degrees awarded for little or no coursework, for “life experience” alone, or in just days or weeks are signs of a scam. Some mills invent their own accreditors.
• Licensed professions. A program might be legitimate but still fail to meet licensure requirements in your state. That can block you from working in the field.
• Lesser-known online-only schools. Many are legitimate and accredited, but a recruiter may not recognize the name. Be ready to explain the school’s accreditation briefly if asked.
• Some research-heavy or academic careers. Fields that depend on lab work, research mentors or a specific faculty network may value in-person programs and relationships more.

Online degree types and how employers tend to see them

Accreditation basics you should know

You’ll still see schools describe themselves as “regionally” or “nationally” accredited. The Department of Education removed that geographic distinction from its recognition rules, which took effect in July 2020. It now distinguishes between institutional accreditors, which review whole schools, and programmatic accreditors, which review specific programs such as nursing, engineering or business.

What matters for you:

1. Institutional accreditation shows the school as a whole meets quality standards, and accreditation by a federally recognized agency is one of the requirements for a school to offer federal student aid.
2. Programmatic accreditation matters in fields where licensing boards or employers expect it.
3. Recognition of the accreditor is the key test. An accreditor that neither the Department of Education nor CHEA recognizes adds little value.

You can search both the Department of Education’s Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP) and CHEA’s directory for free.

Licensure rules for online students

If your goal is a licensed job, the rules are stricter. Under federal regulations at 34 CFR 668.43, schools must publish a list of the states where a licensure-track program does and does not meet educational requirements, and must notify students directly when it doesn’t meet requirements in their state. Since July 1, 2024, federal rules at 34 CFR 668.14(b)(32) also require schools to certify that such programs meet requirements in the state where a distance education student is located when they first enroll, with limited exceptions.

In plain terms: before you enroll in an online nursing, teaching or counseling program, find the school’s licensure disclosure page and confirm your state is on the “meets requirements” list. This is not legal advice, so check with your state licensing board if you have any doubt.

Where to start: how to pick an online degree employers will respect

1. Confirm institutional accreditation in the Department of Education and CHEA databases, not just on the school’s website.
2. Check programmatic accreditation if your field has one, such as nursing, engineering, business or psychology.
3. Read the licensure disclosure for your state if the career requires a license.
4. Look at outcomes. Ask about graduation rates, job placement and whether employers in your area hire graduates. Federal tools such as the College Scorecard also publish data on costs and earnings for many schools.
5. Compare costs and aid. Online tuition varies widely, and some schools add tech or proctoring fees. Our guide on how much an online degree costs breaks this down, and how to fill out the FAFSA online covers federal aid.
6. Plan to build experience alongside the degree. Internships, projects or part-time work in your target field make the biggest difference to employers.

If you’re weighing a degree against other paths, our comparisons of coding bootcamps and getting into tech without a degree can help you decide.

How to present an online degree on your resume

You usually don’t need to mention that a degree was online. List it the same way any graduate would: the degree, major, school name and graduation year. If the school’s name includes “Online” or a campus designation, use the official name as it appears on your diploma.

In interviews, be ready to talk about what you learned and how you applied it. If you worked while earning the degree, say so: it shows self-discipline and time management. Keep answers about format short and focus on the skills and projects.

Conclusion

Online degrees are respected when they come from accredited, legitimate schools and lead to the skills and licenses a job requires. Employers care about the school’s accreditation and reputation, the ability to verify your degree, and what you can do. Check accreditation in official databases, confirm licensure for your state if it applies, and pair your studies with real experience. Do that, and the word “online” won’t hold you back.

Sources

• NCES Fast Facts: Back-to-school statistics — fall 2022 distance education enrollment figures
• US Department of Education: Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs — official accreditation lookup
• CHEA directories — database of accredited institutions, programs and recognized accreditors
• FTC: College degree scams — diploma mill warning signs and fake accreditors
• FTC: Avoid fake-degree burns by researching academic credentials — how employers verify degrees with registrars
• eCFR: 34 CFR 668.43 — licensure disclosure requirements for schools