There are an increasing number of online colleges to choose from for anyone who is looking for an education without having to leave home.  Many of these are legitimate, some of them even part of a traditional brick college, but there are those which are not, and which will take your money, but not give you the kind of education you are hoping for, or a degree that will get you the job you're dreaming of.

Online colleges aren't cheap.  That's the first thing you need to keep in mind.  They won't be near the price of attending a traditional college, but they will still take a large sum off money from you each semester.  One thing to keep in mind here is that it could be that the online colleges which are annexes of the traditional colleges may be more expensive but they should get you a degree certificate with the traditional college's name on it - and that might be worth any additional costs you may have to pay depending on the profession you want to enter once you graduate. 

If you don't need a certificate from a named traditional college, then you will have a much more varied choice of online colleges to choose from.  Narrow your search by looking for accredited colleges that offer the courses you want to study.  It could be that any professional association in your chosen subject area has a list of those online colleges with programs that it approves.  Check out each of these before committing to anything. 

Take a look at how the programs are structured in each online college.  How much choice on subjects do you get?  How many subjects are compulsory?  Are the compulsory ones compulsory in all of the accredited/approved online colleges?  If not, find one with the greatest scope to choose your subjects.  Look at what pre-requisites you need in order to enrol at the online college.  How do you get these if you don't have them and are there any exceptions?  Find feedback reviews online from students who have studied a similar program to the one you hope to enroll on.  Avoid any online college where the feedback is largely negative.

Lastly take an in-depth look around the websites for the online colleges that seem to be the best options for you.  How is the study material presented?  How much online contact do you have with a tutor?  Are you assigned a tutor as your personal tutor for the duration you are studying?  What are the terms and conditions of being a student there - are there grade minimums you must achieve etc?  How do you feel about each online college?  Choose the accredited/approved online college that will give you the chance to study for a degree that will be widely accepted in the profession you wish to follow, has a program that you can follow, and one which gives you a good feeling when you visit the site - remember this is rather like visiting a campus, and you wouldn't choose a campus where you felt uneasy!