Whether online or traditional "brick and mortar," be careful about selecting the college you enroll in to get your degree.   Can you imagine that after you invest time and money in your education, employers and accredited colleges may not accept degrees or even courses taken at non-accredited colleges and universities. Be careful about enrolling and attending an accredited school.

Diploma mills have been around for years and they continue to entice and then bilk the unwary of their money and time. A diploma mill is a business that makes a profit by disguising itself as a legitimate college, university, or school. A diploma mill (or "degree mill") may look like a real school but they award degrees without expecting students to put in the required academic work.   They make money by selling great looking copies of diplomas and distributing fake transcripts.  They may offer diplomas ranging from associate degrees to doctoral degrees

In a recent article, USA Today raises the issue of fraudulent degrees in the job market.  USA Today  states that ‘There are more than 400 diploma mills and 300 counterfeit diploma Web sites, and business is thriving amid a lackluster economy — doubling in the past five years to more than $500 million annually.”   We all want to gain an education at a low cost, but if the college or school cost is too low, they don’t require a reasonable amount of academic work, or they offer the degree or certificate in a very short time - be wary.  Check with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)  or the U.S. Department of Education to confirm that the institution that you wish to attend is legitimate.

 

 

Additional information about “Degree Mills” can be obtained from the following references:

 

Bartlett, T. and Smallwood, S. (2004, June 25) Dollar World of Diploma Mills [Electronic Version]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i42/42a00801.htm

Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Degree Mills: An Old Problem and A New Threat. http://www.chea.org/degreemills/frmPaper.htm

Government Accountability Office. (2004) Diploma mills: federal employees have obtained degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited schools, some at government expense. http://www.gao.gov/htext/d04771t.html

Non-Accredited Colleges/Universities. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf

Oregon Student Assistance Commission – Overview of diploma mills and a list of unaccredited colleges and some diploma mills. http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/diploma_mill.html

 

Students Beware!  Institutions belonging to The United States Distance Learning Association may not be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).   The United States Distance Learning Association is an association, not an accreditor,

 

The United States Distance Learning Association indicates that the following colleges and institutions may not have appropriate accreditation: 

 

•       All American University

•       Allied Health Institute, Fort Lauderdale, FL

•       Almeda University, Boise, ID

•       AMDG, Metairie, LA

•       American Central University, Wilmington, DE

•       American International University, Lexington, KY

•       American States University, Norwalk, CA

•       Association of International Education Assessors (AIEA), Murfreesboro, TN

•       Atlantic International University, Honolulu, HI

•       Barrington University, Mobile, AL

•       Bethany Divinity College, Dothan, AL

•       Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC

•       Camden University, Wilmington, DE

•       Caribbean Training Education Center, Miami, FL

•       Central Pacific University, Honolulu, HI

•       College of the Humanities and Sciences, Tempe, AZ

•       Dorcas University, Honolulu, HI

•       Dorcas University, Honolulu, HI and El Monte, CA

•       DOXA International University, Coral Springs, FL

•       Education Resources Services DBA American Northeast State University, Union City, CA

•       Educations Systems DBA John Adams High School, Edina, MN

•       Farrington University, Henderson, NV

•       Hartford University, St. Paul, MN

•       Institute of Construction Management & Technology, Phoenix, AZ

•       InterAmerican University, Washington, DC

•       JLF University, Miramar, FL

•       Keystone University, Seoul, Korea

•       Lacrosse University, Bay St. Louis, MS

•       Lifetime Career Schools, Archibald, PA

•       London Institute of Technology and Research, London, England

•       Madison University, Gulfport, MS

•       Melville College, Guyana (Flight Attendant Training School)

•       Midwest Missouri University, St Louis, MO

•       Mist University, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

•       National University Virtual High School, LA Jolla, CA

•       Novus University Law School, Palmdale, CA

•       Pacific National University for Professional Studies, North Butler, NJ

•       Saint Regis University, Wilmington, DE

•       South California Polytechnic University, Taiwan

•       St Clements University, Niue - South Pacific

•       St. James Business College LTD, Washington, DC

•       Stratford Career Institute, St. Albans, VT

•       The American University in London, London, England

•       The Queens University of Brighton, Berkeley, CA

•       Trinity Distance Learning Foundation, Wilmington, DE

•       University of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

•       University of Central California, City of Industry, CA

•       University of Northwest, Howard Beach, NY

•       Washington American Global University, Wilmington, DE

•       Washington International University, King of Prussia, PA

 

Check accreditation before enrolling in these institutions.