CollegeSuccessAdvice.com

College advice for adults - without the sales pitch

Online Degrees: How to Avoid the Scams

The Internet has made reputable college degrees more accessible than ever before; unfortunately, many scam artists are now using the Web to peddle their fake educational programs.

These scams, called diploma mills, offer degrees that are either bogus or have such low standards that real educators (and employers) consider them worthless; unfortunately, most working adult students don't know how to tell the real online universities from the fakes.

Here are seven diploma mill warning signs:

  1. They charge by the degree.

    2. Legitimate colleges and universities calculate tuition based on credit hours, by the course, or sometimes by the semester or quarter.

    Diploma mills often charge by the degree; they may even offer discounts for buying multiple degrees.

  2. Unrecognized accreditation.

    3. Diploma mills either don't discuss their accreditation, or they hit you with lots of impressive sounding credentials.

    Closer inspection reveals that their accrediting agencies aren't recognized by either the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. (See my page on Accreditation.)

  3. Bad press.

    4. Even the best programs receive complaints, but diploma mills will get an unusually large amount of bad press.

    Forums like www.studentsreview.com are good places to start. You should also do a Google search on the school's name.

    Remember that not every complaint you'll read is legitimate, but lots of people saying the same (negative) thing about a school's legitimacy is a red flag.

  4. Overemphasis on credit for life experiences.

    5. Especially if more than a quarter of the degree can be earned this way.

  5. Phantom professors.

    6. Courses taught with little to no instructor input, or professors that you can't ever contact.

  6. Bogus addresses.

    7. A P.O. Box for a campus address isn't a good sign.

  7. Lightning fast completion time.

    8. Many legitimate universities offer accelerated formats, but diploma mills make outrageous promises, such as earning a whole bachelor's degree in only six months.

Other Things to Remember about Online Degrees

  1. "Licensed" does not equal "accredited." And, "accredited" doesn't mean "accredited by an agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE)."

    Pay close attention to the exact wording when comparing programs. Make sure you're clear on how a prospective online degree program is accredited before you enroll. (Read my Accreditation article)

  2. A Web site ending in .edu does not guarantee legitimacy. Current rules block .edu Web addresses for schools that don't have USDE-recognized accreditation - but some older diploma mills managed to register their domain names before this rule took effect.

  3. Affiliation with government programs, such as G.I. Bill benefits, does not guarantee proper accreditation. For example, the Veterans Administration (VA) approves both accredited and non-accredited institutions to use its benefits. The VA leaves it up to you, the student, to determine the quality of an institution before you attend.

Protect yourself by doing your homework before enrolling, or you may wind up with a worthless degree!

Top of page