Five Signs that You’re Dealing with a Diploma Mill

As online colleges gain more popularity, money-hungry diploma mills posing as legitimate online colleges are going to increase in number as well. This poses a serious problem, as these diploma mills hand out degrees that hold absolutely no value in the outside, corporate world. So how can you tell whether you’re dealing with a diploma mill or a legitimate college? Let’s find out.

Name similar to a famous college

Diploma mills try to convince innocent, unaware students of their legitimacy by taking on names that sound very similar to well-known colleges. This is a tactic used to confuse students who make the mistake of assuming that the college is a legitimate, well-reputed one. For example, Berkeley International University of Southern California has absolutely no connection to the famous University of California, Berkeley.

Degree can be earned in a matter of days

This should immediately raise a red flag. Diploma mills tend to hand out, in a matter of days, postsecondary degrees that otherwise take at least a year to complete! These degrees are handed out to students after they pay a fixed fee, with absolutely no work necessary on the student’s part. If you come across a “college” that promises to reward you with a degree within say, 15 to 30 days or even just a couple of months, then you should know that you’re dealing with a diploma mill.

Little to no work required to earn your degree

As mentioned earlier, diploma mills charge you a flat fee for a postsecondary degree, which can be “earned” in a matter of days. They make use of advertising gimmicks to sell the idea of earning a college degree with just your life experience. None of these diploma mills require any coursework to be completed in order to earn your degree. The smarter diploma mills promise to give you your degree for very little coursework, saying that your work experience or involvement with the military qualifies you for a degree.

The college is unaccredited or has fake accreditation

A well-reputed, legitimate college will hold an accreditation from an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Plus it will provide details about its accreditation on its website. To check whether the college has been accredited by a recognized accrediting agency, you should check the database of recognized accredited agencies that the U.S. Department of Education maintains on its website.¹Diploma mills are either unaccredited or use the accreditation of a fake agency.

No mailing or postal address on their website

Beware of colleges that provide no postal address on their website. This is also true of online schools. A respectable online school will always have an address and contact details on its website.

Do they same rules apply to online colleges?

Absolutely! Any online college worth its salt will provide details about its programs and accreditation on its website at length. Let’s take the example of Independence University. Independence University is an accredited online college that offers degrees in careers that are in-demand in today’s job market. If you look at some of the Independence University student reviews, you will find adequate information about its student services, accreditation, financial aid assistance programs, and more. If you wish to find out more about the college, you should consider reading an Independence University student review. Always do your research well before applying to any college, on campus or online. Check with the Better Business Bureau and U.S. Department of Education to find out if the college you’re looking into is operating legally and conscientiously.

Resources:

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