FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Why isn't Concordia College & University's online degree program accessible through a recognized ''.edu'' domain?
Concordia College & University like all other U.S. nationally accredited higher education establishments is accessible through an official dot-edu domain (click to view), yet we prefer to market our services to the general public on more publicly accessible commercial internet platforms.
Where is Concordia College and University's campus?
Our assessors, who are traditionally credentialed free-lance specialists in correspondence schooling and portfolio assessment, will handle your application each from their own office, not from a brick-and-mortar campus. We do not require a campus-like infrastructure. This is what makes our assessment program affordable to our students. Concordia College & University considers education a continuous process, not a geographical place.
Concordia College & University® is
not and never has been affiliated with other Concordia colleges and universities.
Is Concordia College accredited or recognized by the United States government or by a State government agency?
The United States is the only known country in the world that has no Federal Ministry of Education and no centralized authority exercising national control over postsecondary educational institutions. All U.S. accreditation agencies are privately owned non-governmental organizations.
Concordia College & University is accredited by the United States National Academic Higher Education Agency in Washington DC, founded to foster and preserve high quality, educationally sound and widely accepted distance education standards and to provide a consistent measurement of the acceptability of private schools (K-12), adult high schools, vocational and technical schools, private colleges and postsecondary education.
Some states and countries may require that you graduate from a local brick-and-mortar state college for professional licensing purposes. They may consequently refuse to recognize out-of-state distance learning qualifications. Inquire with your local authorities before committing any distance education establishment. If you live in a jurisdiction that limits the use of your Concordia College degree for certain purposes, you are still allowed to legally own it as a novelty item.
Who owns Concordia College & University ?
Concordia College & University is incorporated as a non-stock Limited Liability Company (LLC). The LLC is a creature of state law, and can only be formed by a state or government agency. Contrary to traditional corporations, non-stock LLC's do not have owners. Instead they have members, employed on a free-lance basis. Members of Concordia College & University LLC are free-lance professors, academics and business professionals.
A third party website claims that a 'Concordia College' or University would not be accredited !?
The name Concordia is in common use by hundreds of colleges & universities, accredited and unaccredited schools and non-schools around the world. Our institution however is not associated with any other college or university using a similar name.
Should I qualify, can I select my own graduation date?
Yes, since your academic status will be the deserved result of your prior learning and professional experiences which all relate to past efforts. Should you be admitted to our program and decide to enroll, your Concordia College and University credentials will be the deserved reward for your own hard work and demonstrated achievements in the past. As explained in the next chapter of this FAQ your graduation details will always remain verifiable, while our accreditation can be verified from all agencies recognizing Concordia.
What is a Ph.D.? Is it a practioner's degree?
Unlike a DA or MBA, a Doctor of Philosophy degree aka Ph.D. and D.Phil. is not a practioner's degree but a Research Doctorate, awarded to adult researchers after 3 or more years of relevant or renewing research in their field of expertise, demonstrated and evidenced by submitting a combination of accredited prior coursework, peer assessment reviews, and or original publications. Holding a Ph.D. in Gerontology does not make you a licensed gerontologist, but a credentialed researcher into then subjects.
Can I use my Concordia College and University credentials for immigration purposes in the European Union, the United States, or any other country?
No. Most immigration authorities will ask you to submit at least one accredited degree earned entirely by physically attending a brick-and-mortar campus. Since Concordia College and University does not have a physical campus anywhere in the world, you will not be eligible for immigration purposes in any country. Graduates who wish to use their Concordia College degree outside the United States can easily obtain an international legalization document called 'apostille', as explained in this do-it-yourself manual. Concordia College does not offer legal advice on the subject of state or government authentication procedures.
Is Concordia College's program legal and legitimate?
Yes. Several verifiable copies of official certificates, evidencing the legitimacy of our institution, will be included in your graduation package.
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Will Concordia ever make phone calls to my home or office, or to my employers?
No. Our policy is to put everything in writing only.
In which format should I submit my CV/resume for assessment?
You can either include your resume directly upon enrollment, or send it to Concordia College by e-mail or fax. We do NOT open e-mail attachments other than Microsoft Doc, Acrobat Pdf and Apple Word files. Our assessment of your resume is free of charge.
I sent in my resume, and never received the results of my assessment.
This may indicate that we received your resume in a wrong format or that you did not specify which degree/major you are seeking. Obviously we cannot pass your resume to our appropriate assessor in such case.
Can I transfer my Concordia College credits?
Every university has its own criteria for accepting transfer credits. Although Concordia is a licensed and accredited university, we can not guarantee that all of our credits will transfer. We request that you check with the prospective transfer school, employer, licensing board or other competent authority to see exactly which credits will transfer before committing to any school.
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What guarantees do I have that my Concordia College credentials remain verifiable?
Verification is the most important question addressed by our applicants. Since we provide a sealed Letter of Recommendation on our letterhead to the student, usually turning over a copy of that letter is sufficient: we never hear from the third party for verification. In addition, the student has a complete transcript. If ever in the future you would require detailed verification services or extra transcripts, other than those already in your possession, you are free to release your Concordia university transcripts to one of several U.S. national transcript distribution bureaus which are linked to big company human resource departments. For a small fee, these national registrars will handle all your transcript distribution and verification needs, and make extra sealed or unsealed transcripts available to your third party enquirers by fax or postal mail.
Is Concordia College recognized for its programs?
More than 25 percent of our students have their tuition paid for by their companies including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, small businesses and more. If for this purpose you require an official receipt, you are free to turn in your credit card statement showing the exact graduation fee submitted to us. We do not supply invoices any longer. Potential applicants should check the acceptance of our program with their employers prior to applying.
Is the GI Bill accepted?
At this time, Concordia College does not accept the GI Bill, however, many military students receive tuition reimbursement from the military. Please check with your local Veteran Affairs Office for more details.
Can I take further courses in my major?
Yes, you can.
Is my academic status legal and can I include my new title on official documents?
Your title is completely valid and legitimate. It can be included on any official form such as your driving licence, telephone directory listings, website, loan or mortgage applications and passport.
Why do some traditional academics consider distance education establishments 'diploma mills'?
Mainly, as the Department of Education website explains, because they refuse to embrace the concept. Most traditional academics attended colleges for 4 to 12 years during the nineteen sixties and seventies only to find out that, in recent times, qualifying self-taught adults demonstrating a college-level proficiency gained from acquiring equal competencies and prior learning may also qualify for accredited degrees, awarded in only a few weeks but based on years and often decades of self-paced learning and relevant experience. Understandably, some of these 'experts' whose expertise goes back to pre-digital times now belittle the concept of accredited prior learning certification available worldwide to adult learners and resist accredited higher learning establishments embracing that same concept.
Can you speed up the assessment and graduation process?
No. Concordia College already offers the fastest legitimate graduation program currently available.
Can I acquire the Medical Doctorate through your program?
No. Nearly every program in every major is available from our program, but not the Medical Doctorate, other than on a strictly honorary basis.
Not even with tons of medical experience?
No. Concordia College will not award any kind of university qualification in Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Veterinary Medicine etc. other than in a strictly honorary form. It is our conviction that medical disciplines involving the physical treatment of humans or animals cannot be assessed by mail, and that no correspondence university on earth should ever be empowered to award professional medical degrees.
Where is your campus?
Our assessors, who are traditionally credentialed free-lance specialists in correspondence schooling and portfolio assessment, will handle your application each from their own office, not from a campus. We do not require a campus-like infrastructure. This is what makes our assessment program affordable to our students. Concordia College & University considers education a continuous process, not a geographical place.
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There is no mention of experience or of a non-traditional approach on Concordia awards or transcripts.
Do Concordia transcripts differ from transcripts issued by other schools?
Your sealed and embossed transcripts reflect our generic conversion of your existing competencies to all traditionally required + a number of elective courses in your major. All courses show letter grades, percentages, credits and a conclusive GPA of no less than 3.4. These are not necessarily the courses which you have taken during your prior studies, but they are the traditional university courses in your major.
What is the exact portfolio assessment and conversion methodology used by Concordia College?
Our assessor starts from an existing (traditional) distance learning transcript, compiled by himself for an adult distance learning student who was under the assessor's control during the time of his studies and whose transcript now serves as a 'model' for comparison. The Concordia C&U assessor then makes a general assessment of your knowledgeability, as demonstrated in your verifiable resume (the synopsis of your portfolio). He or she decides whether or not the model student's courses and grade structure are comparable to your own general knowledgeability. If they are, Concordia College awards the model student's transcript to you obviously without any mention of the initial student's identity. In other words, our assessor's overall evaluation is converted to generic transcripts originally compiled for traditional adult distance learning students. Our methodology implies that your transcripts will show generic curricula and generic grades. Your transcript may, consequently, contain courses in your major which you did not actually take. The model student took these classes. Your overall knowledgeability is declared equivalent to theirs, and the entire model student's transcript will be awarded in your name as a result of your academic equivalency determined by the assessor. We obviously do not allow our students to have their own list of preferred or "must have" courses,
concentrations, grades or other customizations
pasted into our institution's transcripts.
Once admitted and enrolled, how long will it take for me to receive my graduation package?
Approximately 15 days from your enrollment, independent of your preferred delivery address. Your documentation will be shipped on FOB-basis and delivered to your local post office through registered airmail. Concordia College & University will not assume any responsibility for potential delays incurred due to official mail inspections, or due to local customs or rules stipulating that certified consignments of this size should be collected by consignees in person from their local post office. Once delivered for shipment, Concordia graduation packages can not be returned to the college. Trying to do so anyway does not constitute a legally valid reason for refund requests. Should you wish to receive a second full or partial set of your original credentials, for whatever reason, the entire fee will be due again.
Can I purchase caps, gowns and Concordia college rings?
Yes, but we suggest you order them directly from suppliers in order to save on the purchase price. Caps and gowns are available from Saxon Uniform, college rings from the Ring Company.
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Can I spread the payment of my graduation fee, or use different payment methods?
Concordia College & University only accepts credit and debit cards. One of the reasons why our fees are considerbaly lower compared to more traditional schools, is because we do not have an accounting department: our designated third party payment processor handles all incoming payments, thus allowing Concordia staff members to spend their office hours giving you a better service. Our on-line enrollment form allows you to enroll instantaneously using your credit card. Enrollment forms sent in by fax or postal mail will not be considered. If you do not have a payment card, obtain one here.
I don't see your phone number listed.
Concordia College & University has several telephone numbers. They are for internal administration and so are unlisted and they are not publicised: as a globally operating institution we cannot possibly have live telephone operators available 24/7. This is why we kindly request you to contact us in writing only.
What are Concordia awards and transcripts like?
All Concordia College and University documents adhere strictly to ISO standards as laid down by the International Standards Organization. We do not distribute 'samples' of the institution's credentials to our inquirers.
How many signed/sealed graded transcripts will I receive, and who else will get to see them?
Two official transcripts are included in your graduation package. We do not, however, release copies of your transcripts to anyone.
Does this mean that no additional transcripts will be available to my future employers and enquirers!?
All college and university graduates, not only Concordia College's, are free to release their transcripts to one of several recognized transcript distribution bureaus which are linked to big company human resource departments. For a small fee, these bureaus will handle all your transcript distribution needs and make extra sealed or unsealed transcripts available to your third party enquirers whenever you want.
And what if all this goes too slow for me? Is there a faster or a better solution?
Inquirers requesting original transcripts from you may also be presented a notarized certified copy of your original transcripts instead. You can create these extra 'originals' by simply copying your Concordia College transcripts and having your copies certified to their authenticity by the Public Notary available at your bank. The legal value of a notarized certified copy is identical to that of an original document.
Can I enroll now?
You are welcome to enroll now. Please do not forget to send your CV/resume to us by e-mail (no attachments): our assessment of your resume forms the legal basis of our award to you. Therefore we cannot award your academic qualifications without being able to formalize the conversion of your existing knowledge, as demonstrated through your resume.
My question is not listed here.
Then review our entire website again. The contents of these pages have been compiled over a period of ten years, and virtually all subjects ever raised by our enquirers have been addressed in this online publication: therefore we consider the answers in this FAQ more than sufficient.
I had a question but never received a reply?
Due to the immense number of enquiries received on a daily basis, we reserve the right not to reply to questions already answered from this website or considered irrelevant to Concordia College's services.
Terms of Use & Legal Agreement
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