How to Avoid Diploma Mill Scams
Earning a legitimate diploma can lead to personal satisfaction, greater career advancement opportunities, and higher wage earning potential. And yet, you will not receive these benefits if, after forking over thousands of dollars, you realize that you have fallen for a diploma mill scam.
These types of scams involve selling diplomas to whoever is willing to pay for them. Little or no course work is required of purchasers, who end up obtaining authentic-looking diplomas without actually having to do any of the work that would normally be required to earn a real diploma.
The diploma scam problem is a significant one, and various entities are taking proactive measures to do something about it. For example, in November 2008, Missouri's KSMU radio station reported that the Missouri Department of Higher Education was campaigning to make it against the law to obtain a job in the state by using a fake degree. It also cited officials as saying that perhaps some 200,000 fake diplomas are purchased in the United States annually.
What can you do to help? You can avoid contributing to the problem by steering away from fake diplomas that are without question worth considerably less than the paper they are printed on. What follows are a few pointers on how to avoid diploma scams that can have an unflattering impact on your career prospects, self-respect, and professional reputation.
Tip 1: If it is too easy and too quick, it is not legit.Institutions that offer to grant diplomas in less time than it would take to earn similar diplomas at reputable brick and mortar institutions of higher learning should be viewed with caution. A diploma worthy of the name will require you to put in a diligent effort and to complete assignments, tests, and examinations in order to demonstrate your grasp of the subject matter.
In a bid to take on a more reputable appearance, some of these disreputable institutions will, for a fee, grant you a diploma based on so-called life experience reflected on your resume. However, any offer to “earn” a degree courtesy of resume is a scam.
Tip 2: If the accrediting body is not officially recognized, it is not legit,Most diploma granting institutions boast the approval of some sort of accrediting agency that proves their legitimacy to the outside world. Unfortunately, many institutions are not actually recognized by an accrediting agency that has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education. To be sure that you are attending a nationally accredited school, you must make sure that the accrediting agency representing your institution actually exists. Diploma mills often set up their own accrediting agencies and then have these agencies give their diplomas accreditation status. Any accrediting body that the U.S. Department of Education does not officially recognize should be considered the product of a diploma mill. Check out the following links to find out whether or not an institution you are considering is legitimately accredited:
U.S. Department of Education's Accreditation Database: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation
Council on Higher Education Accreditation: http://www.chea.org .
Tip 3: If tuition fee is per diploma rather than per semester or per course, it is not legit.Diploma mills tend to charge on a per diploma basis. So as long as you have a valid credit card, they will be more than willing to accommodate you by billing you in one easy instalment for a diploma. Legitimate institutions tend to charge on a per semester or per course basis, so alarm bells should go off inside your head if you must foot the entirely of your tuition in one large sum.
Tip 4: If the academic institution says you can call around the clock, then it is not legit.Many diploma mills boast that you can call them seven days a week, 24 hours a day. This should strike you as odd because institutions of higher learning are never open around the clock, and they tend to close on weekends and holidays. Diploma mills, however, are ever ready to accept your credit card information and will provide you with every opportunity to do so.
Tip 5: If the academic institution lacks a proper mailing address, it is not legitIf you view a diploma provider's website and find that the institution has no address or just has a postal box number, you should take that as a warning that the institution is not what it claims to be. Another red flag should go up if you find that a diploma provider focusing on the U.S. market has a mailing address outside of the United States.
Wrap UpIf you intend to go back to school, do yourself a favor by comparing your list of possible schools with an official list of credible accrediting bodies. If you do your homework, you are certain to choose the right school and to end up with a diploma that will be worth much more than the paper it is printed on.
Article Resources:
U.S. Department of EducationCHEA
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