Are Online High School Diplomas Legitimate?

At Penn Foster, we want to make sure you have the tools you need to be successful in your online program. But, before you get started, let’s explore how Penn Foster can open the door to learning and career success. We’re here to answer your questions, so you can hit the ground running on achieving your goals.

 

How do I pay for my program? We aim to provide affordable and accessible learning for everyone. We have flexible payment plans to fit any budget. You can choose low monthly payments or pay in full which offers the best savings. We’ll work with you to determine the option that best fits your needs.

 

Am I able to control my own schedule? Absolutely. Our programs are self-paced which means not set start dates, no exam due dates, and the flexibility to work around your schedule. With our online courses, you’ll have 24/7 access to your student portal and can study at home or on the go from your mobile device.

 

What makes Penn Foster different? Penn Foster offers affordable online training for today’s in-demand jobs. Prepare for the job you want by building the skills you need. Our employer-recognized programs include interactive exercises, practice exams, and support from expert instructors with real-world experience. Our learning platform is tailored to your program to provide you with the tools and support you need to be successful. In your student portal we offer progress tracking tools to help keep you on track and helpful resources for when you need guidance. When you graduate, you’ll have the skills you need to help achieve your goals.

 

What resources do I have available to me as a student? At Penn Foster, we’re here to support you. Our expert instructors can give you guidance via email and over the phone if you have questions about your lessons. You’ll also be introduced to an engaging student community where you can receive support from other students and alumni. Lastly, our learning resource center offers a variety of resources to help you succeed including study tips, course-specific guides to help you excel, and even a section dedicated to job readiness and resume writing tips.

 

Have more questions about getting started as a Penn Foster student? Visit our website or contact us today. See you in the portal.

"Hey, everyone! Welcome to another Facebook Live. I'm your host, Jess, and I'm your host, Lauren. Today, we are together, which is awesome—it's the first time in a long time! We have a great topic to go over with you guys today: everything you need to know before enrolling in Penn Foster. We're going to give you all the good details—everything you need to know.

 

Firstly, Lauren is going to give us our Facebook Live rules and a little bit of etiquette. Sounds good?

 

Thank you all for watching today. We hope you'll participate in the conversation with us! The first rule is, if you have any questions or comments as we're talking, please feel free to drop them below in the comments. Also, we'll always take a like or share! If there are people in your network who are thinking about enrolling in online school, you can share this with them.

 

We just ask that you keep in mind that the comments section is public, so don't drop any personal information like your phone number or student number. Instead, you can give us a call. If you're already a Penn Foster student and have any questions, the number to call Student Services is 1-888-427-1000. If you're not yet a Penn Foster student but want to know more about our programs or what it's like to be an online learner, you can call our admissions department at 1-888-427-6500, and we'd be happy to chat with you.

 

With all that being said, we're going to dive right into the good stuff! On our agenda today is how to choose the right program for you, how to actually enroll in Penn Foster, how classes work at Penn Foster, and what you need to start a Penn Foster program.

 

So, Jess, maybe you could take us through the first of these very important agenda items: how do you even begin to think about what program is right for you if you're feeling a little unsure?"

 

"Yeah! As you guys know, we have tons of programs in all different industries, so if you’re kind of just going in blind, knowing you want to do something online, or if you kind of have an industry in mind but you’re not sure exactly what job you want to do, we have so much to offer.

 

First things first, you have to consider what career you want to have. If you want to work in HR, you won’t enroll for healthcare, obviously. So, if you can figure out what industry you want to work in, that is a really great first step in figuring out what program is right for you.

 

The next thing you need to check out is if the career you’re looking to go into requires a college degree. Not every career requires a degree—many just require some training, a career diploma, or certifications. If you go to our website and look at the programs, it will tell you exactly what you need for each specific program, and specifically for the job you want.

 

Also, another important thing to consider is how long you’ll need to study to reach this future career. Obviously, there are all kinds of degrees—from associate degrees to bachelor’s degrees—some careers require a master’s, and like we said, some things only require a couple of certifications or a career diploma. Knowing how long you need to study and how long it will take you to get to that point is really important to ensure it aligns with your lifestyle and your goals.

 

Career diplomas are shorter programs, so if you’re looking to get into your career as soon as possible, that might be a better fit for you, whereas a degree might take you a couple of years to complete. So, definitely make sure that you’re being honest with yourself about where you’re going and how long you want it to take to get there. Those are just some great starting points to figure out which program will work best for you.

 

And like you said, those are great starting points, but there’s a lot more to it—like figuring out if you need a certificate, a degree, or a diploma. If you want to work in healthcare, for example, what exactly is your career path?

 

We have a lot of really great resources right on our Penn Foster website, pennfoster.edu. If you’re on the homepage, you can scroll through to the Career Resource Center. There, in fields like healthcare, veterinary science, and education, you can find tons of blogs and resources about our different programs. These resources will take you through what the careers are like, what you may expect to earn (though that could depend on many factors), and provide so much great information.

 

Or, if you go to our Student Life blog, also on our website, there’s tons of great content that speaks to all of these things. And, of course, if you want to know more specifically about one of our programs and its potential outcomes, you can call our admissions department and talk it through at 1-888-427-6500.

 

I also just thought of another great resource—our Alumni Spotlight podcast! If you search for Penn Foster on Soundcloud, you can check it out. On our Alumni Spotlight podcast, we interview a lot of our graduates who have completed our programs and then gone on to have careers in those fields. These are great stories where you can hear firsthand from learners like you what it’s actually like to be in the program, what it’s like to be an online student, and what a career in that field could look like for you.

 

So, those are all great things to check out if you’re considering what program you really want to dive into. But once you have that figured out, the next step, of course, is enrolling!

 

Jess, can you take us through a couple of the steps on how to enroll in Penn Foster?"

 

"Absolutely! This is really the bread and butter. Once you’ve figured it out and know what you want to do, the actual enrollment process is definitely your next step! Luckily for all of you out there, it’s pretty easy. There’s no application or application due dates, so you can really get started whenever you’re ready, which is great! When you're all set to start your program, you can either enroll over the phone with an admissions specialist or online. For some people, it might be easier to call in and talk to a specialist if you have more questions that you weren’t able to find the answers to through all of our many resources, which we have tons of. So, it might just be easier for you to call in and talk to somebody live over the phone, get those questions answered, and then they can swiftly transition you into the enrollment process.

 

But if you already know everything you need to know and you’re ready to go, you can decide to register and enroll right online. If you’re sure about the program you want to enroll in, like I said, online is the fastest and easiest way to do it. Again, if you have questions, you can call the admissions department at 1-888-427-6500. We’re going to give you these numbers a bunch of times because we want to make sure you have them in the back of your mind if you’re looking to talk to a real live person about our programs.

 

The next thing to consider is the enrollment requirements. You’ll be able to find these on the program pages on our website, but you can also ask the admissions specialist when you talk to them, or they’ll let you know. For example, if you’re planning to enroll in our high school diploma program, one of the requirements is that you have to be at least 13 years old. For college degrees and certificates, students must be at least 17 to get started. However, there are no age limits to our programs, so whether you’re 18 or 100, you can take the next steps forward to reach your goals and get the career you really want!

 

Next, when do your classes start? Well, I’ll tell you—there are no enrollment deadlines, and all of the classes are self-paced. So, once you’re signed up, you can immediately jump right in and get started, which I think is super, super great! Definitely, if you’re having one of those weeks where you feel like you’re on fire, ready to tackle everything, and you have these goals—you just don’t want to wait anymore to start achieving them—you can enroll and get right into it and start making progress, which is pretty cool.

 

Now, with some of our programs, there is paperwork involved. I know we said online school, and we’re telling you it’s all digital and online, but some things do still require a little bit of paperwork. So, Lauren, do you want to tell us a little bit about that?"

 

"Sure! One thing you don’t need to submit is an application—you can enroll without having to do that, which is pretty nice. This education is an option available to you no matter what your circumstances, and I think that’s pretty great.

 

For career college programs, you may need a high school diploma, so you’ll need to fill out the high school completion form, which can be found in your student portal. This allows us to verify your diploma without needing to send in a copy of the actual document. Also, for some high school and college programs, you might have transcripts you want to send in. These can save you money on those programs. You don’t need those to get started, but of course, you’ll want to submit your transcripts to save money on your program and maybe skip a few things.

 

If you do have credits that you’ve completed at another school, you’ll have to mail in sealed transcripts to our address—actually, the building that we’re in right now in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The address is Penn Foster, 925 Oak Street, Scranton, PA 18515. We’ll drop that in the comments, and it’s available on our website and in the student portal as well. Those have to be official sealed transcripts from your previous school, so just note that you can’t print something off, or if you’ve had sealed transcripts that you’ve opened, those unfortunately won’t work. You’ll have to talk to your previous school and get those mailed in.

 

But we have a transcript evaluation team, so they will work with you to see how those credits can apply to the program you’re getting into, which is pretty cool! So, if you're all enrolled and that process is out of the way, then we'll get into the classes, which is the exciting part of it. At Penn Foster, all of your classes are completely online and self-paced, which is something we talk about a lot, and that's important. I think one thing to know if you're weighing options between different types of schooling—whether that be in-person, online, or different types of online schools—is that they all can work a little bit differently. Penn Foster is a good option for you if you're somebody who's really motivated to do things on your own time.

 

If you don't have the same schedule every day, or maybe you're trying to squeeze in a little bit of studying on your work break or after putting the kids to bed, the self-paced option really comes in handy. If you're someone who travels a lot, or if you just don't want to sit in a classroom, the online option is pretty nice. All of your study guides, digital textbooks, exams, assignments, and important documents are included in your student portal, which you can access 24/7. Since the program is self-paced, you can decide your own study schedule and when you're going to take your exams, which is pretty nice.

 

In our last Facebook Live, we talked a lot about exams. So, if you're interested in anything related to the examination process, there are a couple of different kinds of exams. We can drop the link to that Facebook Live, too, so you can get all of that great information. All of our past Facebook Lives have a lot of great information, so if you watch this and decide you want to enroll but still have questions, scroll back through our page and check out some of our older Facebook Lives because we're always throwing information at you guys.

 

Exams are something we get a lot of questions about, so we'll give you a few highlights here. The way our exams work is, like I said, you can take them when you're ready. After you pass an exam, you can move right on to the next lesson or course. If you don't do as well as you'd like on an exam or if you fail an exam, you can retake it and improve your score, which is a pretty nice feature.

 

If you're preparing for an exam or don't do well on one and feel like you need help, we have resources for you. You can find a lot of answers to commonly asked questions in the Help Center of your student portal. If you need a quick answer, you can also message your instructors directly from your portal or set up an appointment to speak on the phone with one of your instructors if you're struggling with a course or an issue you're not understanding.

 

I think that's kind of nice, too, because if you're in a course that makes sense to you, you can move through it swiftly, get it done, and you're all good. But if you hit something more difficult, the help is there. If you're somebody who doesn’t like talking to people on the phone, you can always send messages. But if you need to talk it out with a real person, you can do that, too. There are different options based on what you're comfortable with, which I think is pretty nice."

 

"Yeah, absolutely! I think it's really important to note that there are so many options and so many ways for you to get the help you need. If you're in a program and have questions, you're not limited to just picking up the phone. You're definitely right, there are some of us who don’t like to talk on the phone home people have a hard time articulating what they mean. It's easier for them to just type it out and send a message than to get on the phone and stumble over their words. On the other side of the spectrum, there are people who are much better at verbalizing what they mean and prefer to explain things in person. Having all of those options is really, really incredible.

 

Yes! So now that you know what the classes and exams look like, and we've given you a high-level overview, these are the things you'll need to start your Penn Foster program.

 

The first thing you'll need to do is make a payment towards your tuition and set up a payment plan to get started. You'll also need a computer, laptop, or mobile device connected to the internet to complete your courses. Most of your classes and exams can be done on any mobile device, but some may require you to have access to a laptop or desktop. Some programs may have assignments or projects, like writing an essay or creating a spreadsheet, that you won't be able to easily complete on your phone or tablet.

 

One thing I want to point out is if you don't own a computer, local libraries often have computers available for public use, so you can look into that as an option. Like Jess said, you can do a lot on your mobile device, but if you're writing a paper or doing something that requires a bigger screen, you could check out your local library.

 

I'm glad you pointed that out because I always love to shout out local libraries and let everyone know there's so much great stuff there. We've also said in past Facebook Lives that if you don't have a quiet place at home to focus—if you live with other people and there's a lot of hustle and bustle—local libraries usually have study rooms that you can reserve by the hour. You can go in, be by yourself, and really focus on your schoolwork without distractions.

 

Yes, that's a really good point! Shout out to all local libraries because they're the best.

 

You'll also need an email address to sign up, so you won’t even get to this point without one. It's important to have an email so you don’t miss out on communication from the school. If you don’t have a standard, professional email setup (like Gmail or Yahoo), jump on and create one. All communications from us, including emails about future Facebook Lives, will come through email, so you don’t want to miss those.

 

You’re 100% right.

 

Additional materials that can be helpful when studying online are notebooks or note-taking apps. Some people, like me, have terrible handwriting and can't even read what they’ve written, let alone expect someone else to. So I like to use the notes app on my phone. But for people like Lauren, who prefer to write things down, a physical notebook might be better. Depending on what kind of person you are, you might want a notebook and pen or a note-taking app on your phone to take notes and access them later to remember important information.

 

A lot of our exams are open book, which is important to note. If you’ve taken an open-book exam before, you know it seems like it’s going to be easy, but when there’s a lot of material, it can be difficult to find what you need. It's much easier if you take good notes. You can look through them during your exam, and they will definitely help you out.

 

You’re right! I can't think of any time I've taken an open-book exam where it was as easy as I thought it would be. Flipping through paragraphs and pages is tough. Having the major points from the lesson written down in your own words will definitely help.

 

Much easier. Like we said, a quiet place to study is always great. If you don't have a quiet spot at home, that’s totally fine. There are options, like your local library or even a local coffee shop. Take your laptop or phone to a place where you can eliminate distractions and focus on yourself and your schoolwork is something that can be really helpful is access to a word processor, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, which is a free service online. If you sign up for a Gmail account, you have access to Google Docs (Google's version of Word), spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations—all free and available on your computer. The nice thing is, if you create a Word document in Google Docs, you can download it as an actual Word document. So, if that's how you want to send the document or share it with others, you can do that, which is pretty nice.

 

Yes, that's a very good point. I always forget about that because I'm always sending links to my Google stuff. But you're definitely right about that.

 

Last but not least is a study schedule. This is something we've talked about in a lot of Facebook Lives. We have a lot of great resources on study tips and things that are helpful for setting up a study schedule for yourself. A study schedule can really be super helpful. The programs are self-paced, so you don't have to keep yourself on a super strict schedule. Be kind to yourself—know that sometimes you'll have to stray from your schedule. But having a specific time set aside, whether it's two hours or 30 minutes on your lunch break, helps you dive into your studying or take an exam. It just helps you progress and get through the program at the pace you want.

 

I would say, too, that thinking about when you're going to have time to study and mapping out that study plan before you enroll, or as you're enrolling, is really important to set yourself up for success. The self-paced nature of our programs is very nice because it gives you flexibility, but it can also be tricky if you're someone who procrastinates or tends to put things off, or if you're just super busy. It's important to know when you're going to carve out time to study and work on your program so you're setting yourself up to be successful.

 

Absolutely, you're 100% right. And once you're in with us and you're doing the thing, it's really awesome to stay connected with us—not only as Penn Foster as an institution but also with your fellow peers for motivation. We have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and now we're on TikTok, so make sure you give us a follow on all of those platforms. You can interact with us via comments, check out all the great stuff we have coming up, and stay informed about things like Facebook Lives and our Veterinary webinar series (if you're a vet student). We keep you all in the loop with the great things going on, so be sure to follow us there so we can all stay connected, which is great!

 

Then there's also the student community. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

 

It's the best! It's an online community where you have to be a student or a graduate to join, and that's for two reasons: one, to keep you all safe from random people online; and two, because every single person in the student community is someone you can relate to. Everyone is also in a Penn Foster program, which is pretty cool. Our community manager, Sean, is the nicest guy in the world, and he genuinely cares so much about all of you and your success. When you log into the student community, you can chat with Sean, chat with other learners, and join different groups, clubs, and discussions.

 

If you're interested in something specific like reading, you can find others who love to read. If you're enrolled in our vet tech program or in high school, you can find people in those programs and talk about your experiences. You can discuss what it's like to try and get a job or make it through a really hard exam. It's just such a cool place where you can get to know people, even though you're all over the country doing different things. It's a great space to come together and have that sense of community.

 

Yeah, and for a lot of people, that's probably what keeps them from wanting to do school online—they worry about losing that group of peers that you're around all the time, going to classes with, sitting with, and walking with. The student community really does a great job of connecting students and graduates like you with people who understand what you're going through, even though you're not on a college campus or in a high school, just knowing that you're not alone and that there's always somebody else going through the same thing you're going through makes a lot of it a lot easier.

 

That's a really good point. So that brings us to the end of our agenda, but I did just want to say, if you're thinking about enrolling in Penn Foster and taking on a new program, it's a great time to do it. This economy is insane, and if you're looking to get into a career that's really in demand, it's a great time to do that. A lot of the programs we offer align with fields like healthcare, where there will always be a need for healthcare workers, or in veterinary care, where there will always be a need for veterinary workers.

 

One thing we'll say is it's important to know what you're getting yourself into, so look at those program pages. Some of our programs, like the Veterinary Technician program, require an externship, so you do the online portion, but then there's also an in-person element in order to graduate. So definitely take a look at those program pages. All the information you need will be there. Know what these programs and careers entail so you're not in for any surprises later on.

 

We try to be really upfront with everything that's involved in a career in that field and what's involved in the program. Most of them are completely online, so this only applies in certain circumstances, but we just want you to know what you're getting yourself into so that you can be really successful and go on to hopefully have a great career and really work towards achieving your dreams.

 

We're really lucky because we get to see a lot of you on social media and talk to many of you to hear your stories. We see so many people who complete these programs and really change their lives for the better—not only in their careers but also in the confidence of having that education, those skills, and the knowledge that you take with you for the rest of your life, no matter what. And that's so powerful.

 

Yes, so know that we're in your corner, and we're rooting for you. We genuinely want you to pick the program and the path that's right for you, and then see you succeed in it.

 

Absolutely, I echo every sentiment there. So, thank you guys so much for joining us. We will see you next time, and yeah, enjoy the rest of your day.

 

Yes, thank you so much. Bye, guys!

 

See ya!