DegreeScout Blog

Today, we’re discussing the increasingly sophisticated tactics that fake online universities use to lure students. In Part 1 of How to Spot Diploma Mills, we discussed a few red flags, especially the claims degree mills make regarding their accreditation.

Unfortunately, degree mills’ tricks extend way beyond false or misleading statements about accreditation. Many fake universities speak about their academic programs in a certain way that sets them apart from legitimate universities:

• Diploma mills tend to put an emphasis on how impressive the diploma looks and how easy it is to earn your degree. Some diploma mills say outright that little or no work is required to earn a degree, but it’s more common for them to take a more subtle approach. It’s common for diploma mills to advertise that you can earn your degree based on your previous life experiences. Though it’s possible to earn an undergraduate degree partially or entirely because of your life experiences, it’s unheard-of at the master’s or Ph.D level. Thus, you may want to steer clear of schools that make these claims.
• Diploma mills will allow you to add prestigious accolades to your diploma for a fee. Whereas it takes exceptional coursework to earn a cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude distinction at a legitimate university, diploma mills will award these for a fee.
• Similarly, diploma mills may offer package deals when you “earn” two degrees, such as a master’s along with a Ph.D. A legitimate university will never offer a discount for completing more than one degree, and they will charge by the course or credit hour, rather than charging a flat fee for a certain degree.

Unaccredited schools that sell worthless college degrees, often referred to as “degree mills,” are a large and growing problem, and it pays to stay up-to-date on the tactics these fake schools use to lure unsuspecting students.

Because it is so easy to create an official-looking website and fake accreditation, and so many students are eager to enroll in distance learning programs, degree mills continue to proliferate. Enough students fall for their scams that the people behind degree mills continue to profit. It’s common for a degree mill to pop up online, enroll a handful of students, then disappear without a trace as the creators pocket their money and move on to another shady scheme.

In addition, the people and technology backing up degree mills are constantly growing more sophisticated, so it pays to be aware of the shrewd tactics they use to suck people in.

As with any major life decision, you should do plenty of homework before choosing a college degree program. This includes researching a school’s background, accreditation, faculty, financial aid, payment structure, course offerings, and more.

This necessary fact-finding mission will help you separate legitimate schools from shady ones. As soon as you start researching a fake school, for example, holes and inconsistencies will appear. You will realize that a school’s name is deceptively similar to that of a well-respected school, such as Columbia University or UC Berkeley. You will find that the school has few or no faculty, or that the faculty mostly has degrees from the school itself (which is a warning sign). You will find that the school downplays their accreditation, has language about “pursuing” accreditation, is accredited by a bogus organization not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or is accredited by an organization that doesn’t make sense, such as a government body in a foreign country.

It’s common for a fake school to make false or misleading claims about accreditation. They may claim that distance learning programs aren’t eligible for accreditation, which is false. They may also claim that accreditation isn’t important, or that getting a degree from a school that is preparing to be accredited is acceptable. Language about “preparing for” or “pursuing” accreditation is a red flag, because legitimate accreditation organizations don’t allow schools to discuss the process of becoming accredited.

Related posts: How to Spot Diploma Mills, Part 2