Diploma mills pretend to be traditional liberal arts colleges or universities, but they lack accreditation from the institutions that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Some do not even offer classes; they just mail you a diploma for a fee.
Diploma mills often offer credit for life experience. Although there are some legitimate university programs that offer credits for life experience, the diploma mills require far less scrutiny and evaluation of the student’s knowledge of the subject. Diploma mills will often choose a name similar to a well-known college or university, but they operate out of a single post-office box. There are often no interactions with professors, and no campus library or other common university resources.
The degrees from a diploma mill can often be “earned” in far less time than what is required for the same program at a recognized and accredited institution. They use marketing terms such as “state-authorized” or “state-approved.” All this really means is that they went out and got a simple business license, the same as what a house painter might obtain. Some of the diploma mills claim accreditation from an unrecognized agency.
According to John Bear, author of “Degree Mills,” the total income of diploma mills in the United States is more than $200 million a year. He believes a single phony school can earn $10 million to $20 million annually. Prospective students are pressured to “enroll now” before the tuition or fees are increased. Diploma mills often use telemarketing operations who get a commission on every student who is recruited.
The main problem with obtaining a degree from an unaccredited institution is that it can result in instant termination any time that it is discovered by an employer.
Some unaccredited colleges are attempting to become legitimate and are going through the accreditation process. Antioch College, for example, has a long and honorable tradition. It lost its accreditation in 2008 when the college closed. In 2014 the Higher Learning Commission gave Antioch College candidacy status — a key step in the process for it to return to a fully accredited institution. Unfortunately, the other end of the spectrum includes a variety of diploma mills that are just trying to make a quick dollar.
Diploma mills often use very slick marketing and appear to be fully accredited and trustworthy institutions. Even relationship guru John Gray, author of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,” has been accused of obtaining a Ph.D. from a diploma mill. Gray’s doctorate is from Columbia Pacific University. In December 1999, the Marin County Superior Court ordered Columbia Pacific University to cease operations. Whether Gray knew that he was receiving an unaccredited doctorate is beyond the scope of this column, but it has caused him long-term embarrassment, with hundreds of websites still commenting on his situation. The key idea is to avoid having this happening to you.
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