A new Web site (www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/) lists almost 7,000 schools that take part in federal student-aid programs, which require colleges to be accredited by an education department-approved agency. The federal government hopes the list will prevent students from spending money on degrees from fraudulent universities known as “diploma mills.”
Schools that are not on the list, but are still legitimate institutions, include foreign universities and some religious colleges that do not participate in federal aid programs.