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GCN Home > 07/07/03 issue

Online Extra: Spotting diploma mills

By GCN Staff

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation in Washington has issued a fact sheet of warning signs that an organization might be a diploma mill.

The fact sheet says that if yes is the answer to most of the following questions, it’s “highly suggestive” the organization is a diploma mill.

  • Can degrees be purchased?
  • Does the organization claim accreditation when there is no evidence of this status?
  • Does it claim accreditation from a questionable accrediting organization?
  • Does the operation lack state or federal licensure or authority to operate?
  • Is little if any attendance required of students?
  • Are few assignments required?
  • Is a very short period of time required to earn a degree?
  • Are degrees available based solely on experience or resume review?
  • Does the operation charge very high fees, compared with other education institutions?
  • Alternatively, is the fee so low that it does not appear to be related to the cost of providing legitimate education?
  • Does the operation fail to provide information about a campus or business location or address and relies, for example, on a post office box?
  • Does it fail to provide a list of its faculty and their qualifications?
  • Does it have a name similar to well-known colleges and universities?
  • Does it make claims in its publications for which there is no evidence?