| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Distance learning only, self-paced; online or printed materials by mail; no campuses |
| Offices | Main office in the Town of Mount Royal (Montreal area), Quebec, Canada; US mailing address in Saint Albans, VT |
| Credential | Career diploma for every course (not a degree; no academic credit) |
| Courses | 77 on the course list (October 2026) |
| Typical length | Most courses designed to be finished within one year; up to two years expected |
| Accreditation | None |
| Licensing | Courses are introductory and do not meet state licence or certification requirements |
| Federal aid | No; interest-free monthly payment plans instead |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Facts checked | 12 October 2026 |
A Canadian home-study school with no accreditation
Stratford Career Institute is a distance-learning school founded in 1991. Its main office is in the Town of Mount Royal, Quebec, in the Montreal area; the Saint Albans, Vermont address it gives US students is a mailing address only. It also runs Canadian and international sites and a separate high-school program, which this page does not cover. Its course list had 77 courses in October 2026, from accounting and paralegal studies to electrician, plumbing and pet grooming; HVAC, welding, cybersecurity and IT Specialist were marked new. Every course is a self-paced introduction to a field that ends in a Stratford career diploma. None is accredited, none leads to a licence, and none includes hands-on training.
Courses and prices
Every course leads to a Stratford career diploma, awarded once all exams are passed and tuition is paid in full. The diploma is not a degree and carries no academic credit. Prices below are from Stratford’s course pages on 12 October 2026, during an “Autumn Savings” sale that cut the courses checked by 50%; the sale’s end date is not stated. Monthly payments follow a $20 down payment. The last column lists what each course does not prepare students for.
| Course (career diploma) | Regular price | Autumn sale price | Monthly payment | What it does not lead to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $1,049 | $524.50 | $36.04 | Not accountant certification |
| Administrative Assistant/Secretary | $999 | $499.50 | $39.96 | — |
| Start Your Own Business | $949 | $474.50 | $37.88 | — |
| Hotel & Restaurant Management | $1,099 | $549.50 | $37.82 | — |
| Drafting with AutoCAD | $1,439 | $719.50 | $46.63 | No Autodesk certification; AutoCAD software included |
| Computer Programming (C) | $1,149 | $574.50 | $39.61 | — |
| Video Game Design | $1,049 | $524.50 | $36.04 | — |
| Florist/Floral Design | $949 | $474.50 | $37.88 | — |
| Art | $949 | $474.50 | $37.88 | — |
| Legal Assistant/Paralegal | $1,099 | $549.50 | $37.82 | Not ABA-approved |
| Private Investigator | $999 | about $499 | $34.21 | No state PI licence |
| Criminal Justice | $1,049 | $524.50 | $36.04 | No police academy or POST certification |
| Contractor/Construction Management | $1,149 | $574.50 | $39.61 | No contractor licence |
| Electrician | $999 | $499.50 | $39.96 | No electrician licence or apprenticeship hours |
| Plumbing | $1,049 | $524.50 | $36.04 | No plumbing licence or apprenticeship hours |
| Auto Mechanics | $1,099 | $549.50 | $37.82 | No ASE preparation claimed; no shop work |
| Medical Office Assistant | $999 | $499.50 | $39.96 | Not a medical assistant program; no externship |
| Physical Therapy Aide | $1,099 | $549.50 | $37.82 | Aide only, not physical therapist assistant |
Every course page carries the same notice: “This educational program is an introductory course… Completion of this program does not fulfill the legal requirements of particular state licenses or certifications, which may require additional training or apprenticeships.” Courses include no externship, clinical hours, lab or shop work, and no certification exam vouchers.
What the main programs cover
Accounting
The course has six sections and 50 topics: an introduction to accounting, Fundamentals of Accounting in three parts, and Accounting for Corporations in two parts. It is book-based study with online or mailed exams; there is no software lab or employer placement. The course page says plainly that it will not certify anyone as an accountant, so it is an introduction to the subject, not a route to a CPA licence or an accounting degree. Stratford also sells a separate Bookkeeping course.
Drafting with AutoCAD
Four of the six modules cover architectural and residential drafting, and the last two teach AutoCAD 2023. Stratford includes AutoCAD software free, so drawings are practised on the student’s own computer. There is no instructor-led studio, no externship and no Autodesk certification exam, and instructors can be reached toll-free by phone or email. Any work experience in drafting has to come from outside the course.
Computer Programming
After units on understanding the PC and on Windows 11, the course teaches the C language in four parts. It covers no other language, such as Python, Java or JavaScript, and it like every Stratford course it has no lab, externship or job placement. Study is self-paced, with exams taken online or by mail, and instructors can be reached by phone or email.
Legal Assistant/Paralegal
The units are Becoming a Paralegal, Civil Litigation, Criminal Procedure and Legal Writing. Stratford does not claim approval by the American Bar Association, and there is no internship at a law office. Because the diploma is unaccredited, check what law firms in your area ask for before enrolling. A separate Criminal Justice course covers American government, investigation and law enforcement, and criminal procedure, but it is not a police academy and carries no POST certification.
Medical Office Assistant
This is mostly a clerical course, not medical assistant training. Its units are Medical Terminology, an introduction to medical office assisting, Managerial and Clerical Tasks, and one unit on Assisting With Medical Procedures. It has no externship and no clinical practice, and the course page does not mention preparation for a medical assistant certification exam such as the CCMA or CMA. Stratford sells medical billing, transcription and health care aide courses separately.
Electrician and Plumbing
Electrician covers a practical approach to electrical work, electricity, residential wiring in three parts, and commercial and industrial wiring. Plumbing covers safety and tools, plumbing systems, designing and installing, and residential and commercial projects. Both course pages call them introductory and say completion does not meet the legal requirements of state licences, which may require more training or apprenticeships. Neither counts toward apprenticeship hours, so they do not replace an apprenticeship.
Cost and paying without federal aid
Stratford charges one national price per course, with no in-state or out-of-state rates and no academic-year tuition. On 12 October 2026 regular prices for the 18 courses checked were $949, $999, $1,049, $1,099 or $1,149, except $1,439 for Drafting with AutoCAD, per Stratford’s course pages (for example, Accounting at $1,049). The Autumn Savings sale halved those prices, to $474.50 to $719.50. Prices change with promotions, so confirm the price on the course page before enrolling.
- Payment plans: $20 down per course, then interest-free monthly payments of about $34 to $47. Stratford charges $30 for a returned payment.
- Included: textbooks and study guides, either in the online student system or mailed within 48 hours of enrolling.
- Switching courses: allowed within the first 60 days; the student pays for materials already used.
- Inmate education: a promotion offers any one course for $499, with $20 down and $31.93 a month, for new online enrollments in the US.
There is no federal financial aid and no FAFSA. Stratford’s FAQ says, “We do not generally participate in government-sponsored student loan programs.” Its site does not mention the GI Bill or VA benefits.
Enrollment and pace
Enrollment is open at any time, online, by phone or by mailing the enrollment form with a down payment. Stratford publishes no entry requirements. Study is self-paced: most courses are designed to be finished within one year, and students are expected to finish within two. Instructors can be reached toll-free by phone or by email; Stratford does not publish support hours.
No accreditation, no published results and the 2017 FTC order
Stratford is not accredited, and says so. Its FAQ states: “No, Stratford does not currently claim any academic accreditation, nor have we ever done so.” Its programs “are not intended as a substitute for state licensing or certification requirements”, and whether another school accepts the work is up to that school. Stratford publishes no graduation, completion or job placement rates.
In February 2016 the Federal Trade Commission charged that Stratford misled consumers about its high-school diploma program, which the FTC said failed to meet the basic requirements set by most states. Under a stipulated order entered on 31 January 2017 and announced by the FTC on 3 February 2017, Stratford was barred from false claims about its programs and must disclose that schools and employers may not recognize its diploma, tell students of their right to cancel and stop collecting from students who cancel. A $6.5 million judgment was suspended once Stratford paid $250,000. A search in October 2026 found no lawsuit or regulatory action from 2023 to 2026.
Earlier, in January 2011, Stratford settled with the Vermont Attorney General, who found that the Saint Albans office was used mainly for shipping, receiving and mail, that the school is based in Quebec, and that listing Saint Albans as its location broke Vermont’s consumer fraud rules, as Vermont Business Magazine reported.
Before you enroll
- The diploma is not a licence or an accredited credential. The course pages say completion does not meet the legal requirements of state licences, which may require more training or apprenticeships. That matters for licensed electrical, plumbing and contracting work, and most states license private investigators separately.
- Course names can sound like more than they are. Medical Office Assistant is mostly clerical training, not a medical assistant program, and Physical Therapy Aide is not physical therapist assistant (PTA) training.
- Credits do not transfer automatically. The diploma carries no academic credit; any college or employer decides for itself whether to recognize it.
- No hands-on part and no career help. There are no externships, labs or job placement, so practical experience has to come from elsewhere.
- Read the payment terms. You pay Stratford directly through a monthly plan. Ask for the cancellation and refund terms in writing before signing up.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Business and office
- Accounting career diploma
- Bookkeeping career diploma
- Administrative Assistant/Secretary career diploma
- Start Your Own Business career diploma
- Business Management career diploma
- Property Management career diploma (new)
- Real Estate Appraiser career diploma
- Hotel & Restaurant Management career diploma
Computers, design and drafting
- Computer Programming career diploma (C language)
- Cybersecurity career diploma (new)
- IT Specialist career diploma (new)
- PC Repair career diploma
- Social Media Strategist career diploma
- Video Game Design career diploma
- Drafting with AutoCAD career diploma
- Interior Decorating career diploma
- Florist/Floral Design career diploma
- Art career diploma
Legal and investigation
- Legal Assistant/Paralegal career diploma
- Private Investigator career diploma
- Criminal Justice career diploma
Building trades and repair (introductory, no licence)
- HVAC career diploma (new)
- Electrician career diploma
- Plumbing career diploma
- Welding career diploma (new)
- Contractor/Construction Management career diploma
- Home Inspector career diploma
- Locksmith career diploma
- Gunsmith career diploma
- Auto Mechanics career diploma
- Motorcycle/ATV Repair career diploma
Health and social care
- Medical Office Assistant career diploma
- Medical Billing Specialist career diploma
- Medical Transcriptionist career diploma
- Dental Assistant career diploma
- Pharmacy Assistant career diploma
- Physical Therapy Aide career diploma (aide, not PTA)
- Health Care Aide career diploma
- Psychology/Social Work career diploma
- Drug & Alcohol Treatment Specialist career diploma
- Fitness & Nutrition career diploma
Animals, children and home
- Veterinary Assistant career diploma
- Pet Groomer career diploma
- Early Childhood Education career diploma
- Child Day Care Management career diploma
- Gardening & Landscaping career diploma
Campus Locations
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