Phony Online Degree Programs – Seven Red Flags

We are all looking for convenience in our lives today.  Thanks to email correspondence, online shopping, banking and job searches, much of what you need to do in a typical business day can be accomplished at your computer with the click of a mouse button. And now, earning a college degree over the Internet has been added to the list.  It is now possible to study for a bachelor's degree or even a master's degree online, without ever setting foot on a college campus.

But how legitimate are these online universities?  While many are comparable to conventional colleges, some are scams. The motivation of the phony online universities is to sell you a diploma or bestow on you a degree with little to no coursework.  These companies market their services to the uninformed and aspiring students without ethics.

Seven Ways to Recognize Phony Online Universities

One: Does it sound too good to be real?  Most likely it is.  Some schools will offer to sell you a bachelor's or master's degree based on life experience.  While this concept might be reasonable, unfortunately, all that is required to acquire this degree is a brief email to the staff describing your experiences and a large fee. No references are required and your claims are not investigated. The "graduate" with this fraudulent degree risks serious credibility issues.

Two: Is the college accredited?  In the U.S., the Council for Higher Education Accreditations (CHEA) is an association of 3000 degree granting institutions which commissions its six agencies to evaluate the standards of each college and university every few years. If an institution is accredited by this council their degrees and credits are transferable to other universities.  The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), recognized by the Federal Department of Education is accrediting agency.  There are many schools that are not accredited, yet are accepted as legitimate. At the same time, there are also schools which claim to be accredited but are deceptive.  Careful research, which can be done online, is necessary to sort through the marketing and choose an authentic institutions.

Three: Does the school advertise heavily?  Phony universities, or diploma mills, are in the business of making fast easy money.  Therefore, many phony institutions will advertise in major publications or popular websites making promises such as a BA or a PhD in less than a month.  Any school that lures you with such absurd promises is simply out to make a quick buck.

Four: Deceptive or vague wording.  Many fake universities will claim to have accreditation from a nonexistent agency or  a foreign government.  These claims of accreditation are nonsensical and not verifiable.  Sometimes investigating the legitimacy of a institution's accreditation can be as simple as searching their name on Google.

Five: State Restrictions.  If an institution does not allow students from certain states to enroll, then there's a good chance those states have cracked down on the diploma mill.  Sometimes schools will skip states and move their operation to another, seeking legal loopholes in new area.  Pay close attention to the location of the school's headquarters and their website name.  If you notice any changes over time there is reason to be suspicious.  

Six: Suspicious contact information.  If the only method of contact is a email address, PO Box address or an answering service, then it's likely a sham operation.  Some schools don't even provide an email address at all.  If a school can't respond to a potential student via email they certainly have something to hide.

Seven: Are their recruiting efforts aggressive?  Many fake universities will do anything to deceive and recruit an unsuspecting paying student.  Some universities will purposely imitate reputable universities or misspell the name of a legitimate institution.  Some will show photos of an academic building claiming or implying it is theirs when it actually belongs to another school.  Some will offer special "deals" for purchasing degrees and continually send SPAM until you buy.  If a school insists upon recruiting you and hounds you with email, it's very likely they need you much more than you need them.

The best way to handle any suspicions you have about phony online universities is to do a extensive investigation of any online degree program you are considering. Be certain to thoroughly research any institution before investing thousands of dollars in a degree that might not have any value in the real world. 

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