Online Diploma Mills
Let's face it, getting an education can be expensive. Even online degree programs have some fairly hefty tuition costs. Pair tuition with desparate job seekers and you have the recipe that created diploma mills.
What is a diploma mill?
At their least bad, a diploma mill is an company that is simply selling fake diplomas. The consumer knows they are buying a piece of paper and not earning an online degree or certification. The best comparison would be buying a fake id. Both documents only have value for their ability to fool others. The people buying and selling these documents know exactly what they are getting.
At their worst, diploma mills present themselves as a fully accredited educational institution with curriculums and classes. The problem is that these so-called schools do not exist. Or, if they do exist their programs do not meet what most would consider the most basic of educational requirements for earning a degree.
Here Today Gone Tommorrow
Much like your hard-earned money if you fall victim to one of these online diploma mills they will disappear once they start getting identified as a fraud.
Many of the conversations among educators about the worst offenders will discuss what today's active diploma mills called themselves in the past. Students, educators and employers face a never-ending battle to identify which online degree programs are legitimate and which ones are doing little more than selling fake diplomas.
Many college admissions officers and personnel departments are left to create their own list of diploma mills. Unfortunately, there are no national or international resources that focus on identifying the offenders.
List of Offline and Online Diploma Mills
That said, there are a few universities and educational organizations that are sharing their own online diploma mill lists. While this list is by no means complete, it should get you started researching any online degree program you might be considering. Students searching for a reputable online degree program will not fall victim to one of these fake diploma mills if they pursue programs provided by colleges and universities with a fully accredited physical campus.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board - a list of degree mills with ties to the state of Texas
Michigan Civil Service Commission - a huge list of colleges and universities that do not meet the state employment educational requirements. This list also includes fake accredidation and governing bodies.
Civil Enforcement Lawsuits in the State of Hawaii - a list of those educational institutions operating in Hawaii that have been sued. The site includes specific case information including judgements.
Maine Higher Education - Non-Accredited Schools list - this list is sadly so huge that they have broken it down alphabetically into separate pages.
Is my university a diploma mill?
If your school is not listed on the diploma mills lists above, that may just mean they have not been caught yet. The best way to ensure a school is not in fact a diploma mill and selling fake degrees is to contact the Higher Education Board in the state in which the so-called school claims to be operating. If they are not on that state's list of accredited and licensed institutes of higher learning, they are peddling worthless paper.
American students should be substantially more wary of programs being offered from countries other than the United States. To verify that an international institution is not an online diploma mill, visit that country's government education website.