The diploma mill playbook: 7 signs a ‘university’ is selling paper, not degrees

The cat with an MBA

Colby⁠​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​⁠ Nolan held an MBA with a 3.5 grade point average. He was also a six-year-old black cat.

In 2004, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office sued Trinity Southern University, an online school in Texas. Investigators had applied for a bachelor’s degree in the name of a deputy attorney general’s cat, claiming experience such as baby-sitting and retail management.

According to the lawsuit, the school, which offered no classes, decided the cat’s résumé entitled him to an MBA instead.

That is the whole business model. A real degree is a receipt for learning that someone assessed. A mill sells the receipt and skips the learning.

Three look-alikes, one question

Three⁠​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​⁠ things get confused: credit for prior learning, a diploma mill and a forged certificate. One question separates them. Did a real institution assess real learning?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) draws the line: real colleges may give some credit for relevant experience, but “nobody legit will give you an entire degree based on your experience.” Legitimate credit may come course by course or as a block, but a recognized institution always assesses it against stated outcomes. One UK university’s policy, for example, asks for evidence that prior learning is “relevant, current and satisfies the learning outcomes” of the course.

Forgers have their own tricks. Hedd, the UK’s official degree verification service, has warned that graduates who post photos of their certificates online help forgers copy logos, crests and holograms.

Seven plays, and the counter to each

The⁠​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​⁠ Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) warns that no single sign settles it, but several together should worry you.

1. Invent an accreditor. Any school can claim to be accredited, the US Department of Education warns. So mills invent accreditors or buy approval from “accreditation mills.” CHEA lists their tells, from status for sale to “permanent” accreditation. Counter: do not ask “accredited?” Ask “by whom, and who recognizes them?”
2. Borrow a name. Mills pick names very close to well-known universities, or believable-sounding foreign ones, the FTC notes. Counter: search for the exact name in the official register.
3. Sell speed. A degree promised in days, weeks or a few months is probably a scam, says the FTC. Counter: ask how many courses you must complete, and how each is assessed.
4. Turn a résumé into a degree. CHEA asks whether degrees are available “based solely on experience or resume review.” The key word is solely. Counter: ask what evidence they need and which learning outcomes it will be judged against. A real prior-learning process can answer. The cat never had to.
5. Hide the people. CHEA flags operations that list no faculty and give only a post office box. “Newcastle Business College,” closed by Hedd, claimed to enroll thousands of British students a year. It had no UK base, its phone went to voicemail, and it was run from the Middle East. Counter: ask for named faculty and a street address.
6. Push hard. The FTC lists spam, pop-up ads and high-pressure calls. The Pennsylvania suit cited more than 18,000 illegal emails promoting Trinity Southern. Counter: treat a deadline set by a salesperson as a reason to slow down.
7. Manufacture credibility. A “.edu” address does not prove a school is real, the FTC notes, and seals, badges and press mentions can be manufactured too. Counter: treat each one as a claim to check.

The real target is whoever reads the paper later

A⁠​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​⁠ mill has two audiences: the buyer, who may or may not be fooled, and the employer who reads the paper later.

• St. Regis University. From 1999 to 2005, a ring prosecuted in Washington state sold degrees from St. Regis and other fake schools to people in more than 130 countries, the Washington Post reported. New York City’s Fire Department disciplined 14 employees who had used the bogus diplomas for promotions and appointments.
• Fake UK universities. Hedd has investigated hundreds of suspected fake “UK universities” and forced dozens of their websites offline. The head of its fraud service has said fake operators very likely match or outnumber genuine UK institutions.

The cost lands on the holder. The US Department of Education notes that federal hiring does not accept diploma mill degrees, and that in some states using an unaccredited degree can be illegal. The FTC adds the risk of not being hired, being fired later, and possible prosecution.

Check a school in five minutes

• US: the Department of Education’s Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), and CHEA’s directory of recognized accreditors.
• UK: the GOV.UK page “Check if your university or college can award a degree,” which points to each UK nation’s official register or list. The college that teaches you may not be the body that awards your degree, so check the awarding body.
• Australia: TEQSA’s National Register of higher education providers.
• Anywhere else: is the institution recognized by the education ministry or regulator where the degree was issued, and accepted by whoever will read it where you plan to use it? You need both.
• A person’s degree: in the UK, Hedd lets employers confirm where someone studied, their award, grade and dates, with the graduate’s consent.

Our guide to checking a university’s accreditation walks through each register.

The bottom line

Walk⁠​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​⁠ away from any offer that runs several of these plays, and if you hire, verify the paper. Experience can earn assessed credit at a recognized university, but it cannot buy a whole degree. If nobody assessed your learning, you are not buying a degree. You are buying the cat’s diploma.