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Diploma Mills: How to Spot & Avoid Them

How to spot them and why you should avoid them like the plague!

Diploma mills are everywhere. These "schools" promise a fast and easy road to a degreed job but you can destroy your professional reputation for life by using a degree from a diploma mill, and that "fast and easy road" can lead straight to prison.

Communications technology has opened new vistas in distance education; it also has opened the back door to scamsters and flimflam artists who get a $300 computer and an internet account, then set up shop as a "virtual university" whose only education related activity is the printing of diplomas and degrees. There is a lot of controversy around the definition and use of the term "diploma mill" because, as new university models evolve in the wake of innovations in educational technology, it is hard to come up with a definition of a diploma mill that doesn't include at least one perfectly legitimate unconventional school.

Keep in mind that, when I talk about "diploma mills" here, I mean:

Any institution offering a postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate in return for cash and no work.
Any institution offering a postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate in return for cash and an aburdly simple requirement such as a 10-page "thesis" or a fifty question multiple choice or true/false test.
Any institution offering a postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate based on life experience when the only evaluation is to look at your resume.
Any institution offering a postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate while claiming accreditation it does not have or accreditation that is granted by an accrediting agency not recognized by the academic community. This recognition is granted by the United States Department of Education or the private Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

I would also include schools which do not claim accreditation but grossly misrepresent how widely their degrees are accepted by other educational institutions, licensing and credentialing agencies, and employers in the public and private sectors.

There is no legitimate reason to claim accreditation that doesn't exist. Although there might be a case for claiming accreditation from an earnest accrediting agency which has not yet received recognition from the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, there is no honest reason not to tell people about the status of the accreditor.

There are a lot of fly-by-night "distance learning universities" out there that fit this description. They are operated by unscrupulous people who take advantage of the fact that distance learning is new to most people. Some of these outfits must be pretty successful (financially) because they have been running high-priced ads for years.

I will not name them because the wealthier diploma mills like to sue people who expose them. Suing gives them publicity and an air of legitimacy. And, if they have lots of money, they can run their adversaries into bankruptcy, making it appear as though they have won their case. For this reason, when my clients ask about a particular school, I will not come right out and say "This is a diploma mill." Instead, I will say: "Here is a list of concerns that would make me very hesitant to enroll with this school."

One way to avoid diploma mills, of course, is to hire someone like myself whose specialty is knowing what to look for and what to avoid in distance education. I have to admit, I got interested in this field the hard way -- by being burned myself.

There are literally thousands of distance degree programs out there. Some are excellent, some good-to-fair. Some are so dreadful that listing them on your resume might land you in prison. Amazingly, price isn't always the best indicator. Finding just the right distance education program can be overwhelming. That's why I started DegreeFinders.com Counseling Service.

Take a look at our Counseling Questionnaire. Whether or not you use our service, the questionnaire will give you an idea of the many factors you need to keep in mind when selecting a distance degree program.

DegreeFinders Special Report on Diploma Mills!

You wouldn't believe how many letters we get from people wanting to know whether a particular school is legitimate or a diploma mill. And I am constantly amazed by the ones that say "Gee, I've found a great program that looks legit to me, what do you think?"

This ad comes across my desk with great frequency. By the way, the phone number changes a lot. That should be concerning right there.

Graduate without attending classes or taking a leave of absence from your current job.

Prepare for the professional advancement you deserve.

CALL 1-602-230-XXXX

This University Degree Program removes the obstacles that cause adults to abandon all hope. You may know employers continually hire, promote and reward raises to new employees. They may have ZERO skills or experience, but they are continually promoted just because they have this piece of paper.

The degree earned by our students enables them to qualify for career advancement and personal growth. This acclamation also breaks down the walls that prevents you from
receiving the more fulfillment and proper compensation.

With our service, you are provided with an official graded transcript. Duplicate transcripts will be filed in the graduate's permanent record with our colleges. Degree verification and official transcripts will be provided in writing when requested by employers and others authorized by the graduate. Our College and University transcripts meet the highest academic standards. Our University issues a degree printed on a premium diploma paper, bearing the official gold raised college seal.

Your degree is closer than you think. No one is turned down.

Confidentiality is assured, and
we are awaiting your call today!

CALL 1-602-230-XXXX

Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including Sundays and holidays.

If you can't call —
we can't help you.

If your phone is currently tied up, please print this page now!

It is highly unlikely that your career will be advanced by any degree granted to all comers — "no one turned down."

What they fail to mention is: In some states, using such a degree can land you in prison. You may have a new career alright, but not what you had in mind!

As I have explained elsewhere, we will not come right out and call any school a diploma mill because the laws are set up against us. A wealthy diploma mill can sue anyone calling it a diploma mill even if they are right! Insurance companies are quick to settle libel suits rather than fight expensive court battles. And settling only makes it look as though the school won. And that makes the school look legitimate!

We take a different approach. We never call any school a diploma mill no matter how obvious it may be. But we describe situations, the presence of which do not prove anything but should cause concern in a potential student. Each concern indicates some degree of risk that the degree will not be accepted by others. Too many of these "concerns" make enrollment too risky.

Based on the numerous letters we receive asking about really risky schools, I have decided that DegreeFindersSM needs to produce another of its Special Reports. This one will give you the same detailed guidelines DegreeFinders uses to sort out the good, the bad, and the iffy.

It is underway as we speak and tentatively titled the same as this page: Diploma Mills: How to spot them and why you should avoid them like the plague!

You'll definitely want this one. It could save you thousands of dolalrs and years of grief. As usual, we will sell this valuable information for a low $8.50 so that most everyone can get one but we can still pay the bills.

Keep a lookout on this page and the Special Reports page where we will announce when this breakthrough report is available.

Media on the Threat of Diploma Mills in an Era of Distance Learning

American Legion Magazine. Degrees of Guilt April Issue, Vol. 142, No. Mark Rowh. A very good overview of the problems caused by diploma mills, the extent of the problem and how to avoid being conned by a diploma mill.

Better Business Bureau. Is the Internet Becoming a Haven for Diploma Mills? Short but to-the-point article on the increasing prevalence of diploma mills and some of the warning signs that you may be dealing with one.

Hamilton Spectator. Diploma.mill Sep 3, 1999. Interview on the subject of online diploma mills with Rodney Merrill, distance degree consultant and founder of DegreeFinders.com; John Bear, author and pioneer in distance degree research and consulting; and other authorities in the distance learning field.

Kansas City Star. Diane Carroll and Lynn Franey. Kansas authorities investigating Monticello University

Quack Watch. Dr. Stephen Barrett. Bernadean University: A Mail-Order Diploma Mill.

Wired News. Mar. 23, 2000 Kendra Mayfield. Phony Degrees a Hot Net Scam Interviews on the subject of online diploma mills in the era of online degrees and other forms of distance education. with Rodney Merrill, distance degree consultant and founder of DegreeFinders.com; John Bear, author and pioneer in distance degree research and consulting; and Michael Lambert, executive director of the Distance Education and Training Council.

Bizjournals.com/South Florida wrote and excellent series on Barrington University, one of the so-called "prestigious non-accredited universities" offering degrees in the ad above:

From the October 13, 2000 print edition. Ed Duggan. Reality check for Virtual Academics.com. Just a few highlights:

Company literature described the chairman as having a doctorate and masters degrees, but he has neither.
The university accredition service touted by the company doesn't have offices at addresses given in Switzerland and Washington, D.C., but a search found it was incorporated in Florida by a group that includes Virtual Academics' chairman.

The location listed as headquarters for Virtual Academic's main university is the location of an answering, secretarial and bookkeeping service. Chinese professors and schools get a commission selling degree programs to some of Virtual Academic's students. And that's only the beginning. I was pleased to assist Ed Duggan in tracking down the secretarial service.

From the October 27, 2000 print edition. Editors. Virtual Whatever is an opinion piece that summarizes and puts a spin on the findings described in the article above.

From the October 27, 2000 print edition. Ed Duggan. Alabama threatens to pull university license.

Just a few highlights:

Alabama officials threatens to pull university license of Barrignton University, the flagship of Virtual Academics.com (OTC BB: VADC) of Boca Raton.

The company failed to notify Alabama that the university, which is registered and incorporated in the state, changed ownership in January. When a state inspector checked, Barrington University also had moved out of its listed headquarters at A&S Answering & Secretarial in Mobile.

When a state like Alabama—with some of the most lax degree granting laws in the nation— threatens to pull a university license, you know something is not right!