Diploma mill
Encyclopedia
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degree
s and diploma
s with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies
. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree
, and the organization is motivated by making a profit
. These degrees are often awarded based on construed life experience. Some such organizations claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved accrediting bodies
set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity.
While the terms "degree mill" and "diploma mill" are commonly used interchangeably, within the academic community a distinction is sometimes drawn:
Medical diploma mills have operated, and have been blacklisted, in the United States for over 120 years.
academic institutions. Despite the fact that trademark law is intended to prevent this situation, diploma mills continue to employ various methods to avoid legal recourse
. Several diploma mills have adopted British-sounding names, similar but not identical to the names of legitimate universities, apparently to take advantage of the United Kingdom's reputation for educational quality in other parts of the world. Some examples of British-sounding names used by diploma mills are "Shaftesbury University", "University of Dunham", "Redding University", and "Suffield University".
In their marketing and advertising campaigns, diploma mills will often misleadingly claim to be "accredited" when, in fact, many are found to have been endorsed by "dummy" accreditation boards set up by company affiliates. In an attempt to appear more legitimate to potential students, accreditation mill
s based in the United States may model their websites after real accrediting agencies overseen by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
(CHEA). Some may even advertise services for transcript notation and diploma verification in order to seem more legitimate. Another typical ploy is for mills to claim to be internationally recognized by organizations such as UNESCO
. UNESCO, however, has no authority to recognize or accredit higher education institutions or agencies, and has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation. As diploma mills are typically also licensed to do business, it is common practice within the industry to misrepresent their business license as indicating government approval of the institution.
Compared to legitimately accredited institutions, diploma mills tend to have drastically lowered requirements for academic coursework
, with some even allowing their students to purchase credentials without any education. Students may be required to purchase textbooks, take tests, and submit homework, but degrees are nonetheless conferred after little or no study.
Buyers often use the diplomas to claim academic credentials for use in securing employment (e.g., a schoolteacher may buy a degree from a diploma mill in order to advance to superintendent
). Some diploma mills claim to be based outside the country they market to. This is common with "offshore" jurisdictions.
in many jurisdictions. In some cases the diploma mill may itself be guilty of an offense
, if it knew or ought to have known that the qualifications it issues are used for fraudulent purposes. Diploma mills could also be guilty of fraud
if they mislead customers into believing that the qualifications they issue are accredited or recognized, or make false claims that they will lead to career advancement, and accept money on the basis of these claims.
Some unaccredited institutions include disclaimers in respect of accreditation in the small print of their contracts.
Author John Bear
, a distance learning
and diploma mills expert has written that fake degrees are risky for buyers and consumers:
, it is a criminal offense to call an institution a university, or issue university degrees, without authorization through an act of federal or state parliaments.
Under the Higher Education Support Act 2003
, corporations wishing to use the term "university" require approval from the relevant government minister, the Minister for Education (as of May 2010).
The corporate regulator Australian Securities and Investments Commission
(ASIC) places strict controls on corporations wishing to use the term "university" and the name must not imply a connection with an existing university (e.g. University Avenue Newsagent Pty Ltd) if the applicant does not intend to provide education services.
The Corporations Regulations 2001 lists the 39 academic organisations permitted to use the title "university".
The use of higher education terms (such as "degree") is protected in state legislation, e.g. Higher Education (Qld) Act 2003.
Specific penalties are given within the individual acts and more generally are also covered by the "Misleading and Deceptive Conduct" provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974
, permitting fines in excess of AUD $10M.
, Entity
or District
, but prescribed by the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of BiH
which conducted the independent external quality assessment of educational institution. Only these institutions are allowed to award academic degrees
and diploma
s.
Illegal use of academic titles or academic degrees and "non-accredited diplomas" may lead to prosecution, conviction, fines or even imprisonment.
) For example, in Ontario the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000, regulates degree-granting authority. Any institution that wishes to a) offer a degree and/or b) use the term "university" must be authorized to do so under an Act of the Legislature or by the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities under the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000.
In 2006, the Canada Border Services Agency
reported concerns about "visa mills", fraudulent universities operated for the sole purpose of helping foreign nationals obtain student visa
s to allow them to enter Canada
.
are public institutions. The Ministry of Education, which has legal authority to regulate college enrollment and degree awarding, publishes a yearly list of qualified higher-education institutions. Institutions not on the list cannot admit students or award degrees.
Also, no institution may call itself a "university" or "college" without approval by a provincial-level education department. Any institution, public or private, which wishes to name itself after a geographic region larger than a province (e.g. "South China ... University") must go through the Ministry of Education. A new regulation forbids any new university or college from being named "national", "of China" or similar names.
's teacher college provide education, which are only accredited outside Denmark.
and Tampere University of Technology, since 2010, but both are still explicitly mentioned in the University Act.
For purposes of professional qualification, the use of foreign degree qualifications is regulated: if the name of a degree can be confused with a Finnish degree that requires more academic credit, the officials in charge of professional qualification must require it to be formatted in a manner to eliminate the confusion. For example, if a degree is called "Doctor
" but is in fact a lower degree (common in some cases), then this confusion has to be eliminated.
, it is a criminal offense to call an institution a university, a university of applied sciences
, or issue academic degrees, without authorization through an act of the respective state's
Ministry
of Education. It is also a criminal offense to falsely claim a degree in Germany if it does not meet accredited approval.
Some corporate training programs in Germany use the English term "corporate university". Although such use of the term might be argued to be illegal, in practice it is tolerated since everyone understands that such programs are not actual universities.
Under HK Laws. Chap 200 Crimes Ordinance, Section 73, anyone who knowingly used false documents with the intention of inducing somebody to accept it as genuine, "is liable for a 14 years imprisonment term". Section 76 outlines that anyone who make or possess machines that creates false documents are also liable for 14 years jail time.
states, in section 22 of the University Grants Commission Act of 1956:
are placed on, or formally aligned, with the National Framework of Qualifications. This framework was established by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
in accordance with the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act (1999). It is illegal under the Universities Act (1997) for any body offering higher education services to use the term "university" without the permission of the Minister for Education and Science. It is likewise illegal under the Institutes of Technologies Acts (1992–2006) to use the term "institute of technology" or "regional technology college" without permission.
and Section 72 prescribes a fine not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.
Apart from the penalties prescribed by the Act above, other laws that regulate the establishment of universities prescribe various other penalties:
Furthermore, all legitimate higher education qualifications are placed on, or formally affiliated with the Malaysian Qualifications Framework
under the provisions of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007. Limited exemptions are however granted to organizations and institutions "where the teaching is confined exclusively to the teaching of any religion" or "any place declared by the Minister by notification in the Gazette not to be an educational institution" under the Education Act 1996.
issued an alert listing eleven institutions that are unaccredited in Mexico: Atlantic International University, Pacific Western University (PWU has operated as California Miramar University since 2007 and CMU is accredited by the DETC as of 2009), Endicott College (Endicott College
in Massachusetts is fully accredited
), Alliant International University
(AIU is accredited by the WASC
; it formerly operated as USIU (see next)), United States International University (now AIU), Newport University (not to be confused with University of Wales, Newport
), Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (a distance learning program operated by the Spanish government), Westbridge University, West Coast University
(WCU is accredited by the ACICS
), Bircham International University
, and Vision International University
.
is the only agency allowed to accredite courses. Since the implementation of the Bologna process
, the Dutch universities have started to bestow the English titles MSc and PhD instead of their Dutch equivalents. These English versions of the title are not protected under Dutch law. Ironically, however, a diploma mill may bestow someone with a PhD title without violating Dutch law, but the recipient will not be allowed the protected title "doctor" or "dr.".
Partnerships with foreign educational institutions are possible. This is called the "U-bocht construction". In this case, the curricula are neither accredited by NVAO nor recognized by the Dutch Department of Education, since they count as foreign curricula (they are not seen as Dutch curricula). In this case, the graduates do not receive a Dutch diploma, but they receive a foreign diploma, issued by the educational institution which has a partnership with a Dutch educational institution. Whether they are diploma mills or not depends upon the laws and accreditation system of the country wherein the diploma is granted.
Education Act prohibits use of the terms "degree" and "university" by institutions other than the country's eight accredited universities. In 2004 authorities announced their intention to take action against unaccredited schools using the words "degree" and "university," including the University of Newlands, an unaccredited distance-learning provider based in the Wellington suburb of Newlands
. Other unaccredited New Zealand institutions reported to be using the word "university" included the New Zealand University of Golf in Auckland, the online Tawa-Linden and Tauranga Universities of the Third Age, and the Southern University of New Zealand. Newlands owner Rochelle M. Forrester said she would consider removing the word "university" from the name of her institution in order to comply with the law.
"In Nigeria, online degrees from unaccredited institutions are banned and employers are
not supposed to accept fraudulent degrees."
criminalizes the act of "Falsification of medical certificates, certificates of merit or service and the like." Art. 174 penalizes the maker or the manufacturer of such certificate, specifically a physician or surgeon in connection with the practice of his profession and a public official. Art. 175, on the other hand, penalizes the one who procures and knowingly uses such false certificate. Despite this, news and magazine articles appear from time to time reporting businesses operating along Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila
which offer fake documents for sale.
, which seemed rather relaxed. A number of scandals, suspicions and affairs involving private higher education institutions (for example, major private universities like Universidade Moderna (1998), Universidade Independente (2007) and Universidade Internacional (2007), among others), and a general perception of many of those institutions as having a tendentially relaxed teaching style with less rigorous criteria, have contributed to their poor reputation which originated a state-run inspection of private higher education institutions in 2007. In some fields, a number of private, and state-run polytechnic or university institutions, did not provide degree programs of academic integrity comparable to those provided at the most reputed departments of the major Portuguese state-run classic universities. In the late 2000s, there was a growing effort to define nonaccredited universities or accredited institutions which awarded nonaccredited degrees, as diploma mills, in order to raise awareness about the problem. In 1999 alone, over 15,000 students enrolled in Portuguese higher learning institutions (universities, public and private, polytechnical institutions, etc.) and newly graduates in the fields of engineering and architecture, were enrolled or were awarded a degree in a non-accredited course. Those students and graduates with no official recognition were not accredited professionals in their presumed field of expertise. At the same time, only one accredited engineering course was offered by a private university, and over 90% of the accredited courses with recognition in the fields of engineering, architecture, and law were provided by state-run universities. Since 2007, the State plans to enforce in the near future more stringent rules for all kind of public and private degree-conferring institutions.
has been considered in Romania and outside it as a diploma mill. Although it received accreditation
from Romania's National Council of Academic Evaluation
in 2002, step by step its accreditations were cancelled for a large number of specializations. Also, there are many voices which dispute the level of the education offered. The scandal peaked in the summer of 2009, when the Minister of Education suggested that the way license diplomas are obtained could become the object of an inquiry of the Romanian public prosecutors.
Petre Andrei University from Iaşi
has been demanded to comply with the Law no. 408/2002, otherwise it will be liquidated. The same holds for Apolonia University from Iaşi
(speaking of Law no. 481/2002 instead of Law no. 408/2002).
University Al. Ghica and University Europa Ecor, both from the town of Alexandria, Romania, made the object of an operation of the Romanian National Anti-corruption Prosecution Office, for selling 15,000 false diplomas in exchange for Euro 3,000 per diploma. Their profits have been estimated to about Euro 45 million per year.
The Romanian newspaper Gândul has reported that the Christian University "Dimitrie Cantemir" from Bucharest started 34 Master's degree curricula which have no legal ground. According to the rector of the University, Mrs. Corina Dumitrescu, the law has a loophole, since it uses a continuous present for institutional evaluation, which is uncharacteristic of the Romanian language. She says that in her opinion institutional evaluation (required by law) may also happen after the curricula have been taught. The actual wording in Romanian is "universitate acreditată supusă periodic evaluării instituţionale", and Dumitrescu argues that "care se supun" means that an accredited institution can be evaluated "today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" (and presumably, any time), not that it needs to have been evaluated in the past. For the study year 2010-2011, 16 Master's curricula from nine of its faculties are listed as accredited in Order no. 4630/2010 of the Department of Education.
The Minister Daniel Petru Funeriu has declared that the Spiru Haret University will become illegal. "The new law provides very clearly what happens in such situations: the institution of higher education which has unaccredited curricula automatically becomes illegal and enters into liquidation" said Funeriu for Bună Ziua Iași, showing that this is of application for any university with unaccredited curricula, not just for the Spiru Haret University. On February 10, 2011 have to have been stopped any specializations and curricula which are neither accredited nor temporarily authorized, according to Art. 361 paragraph 4 of the Law of National Education. The continuation of such curricula causes the liquidation of the university and the criminal responsibility for those guilty of breaking the law.
According to the newspaper Gândul, the situation of those who graduated unaccredited and unauthorized studies will be decided in September, following a project drawn up by ARACIS and consulting the National Rectors' Council. Funeriu recognized that it applies to several universities and that his department does not have the right to cancel diplomas.
if it does not meet accredited approval. For example, in March 2006 prosecutors in Seoul
were reported to have "broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras." People who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged.
In early 2007, Shin Jeong-ah
(신정아) was criminally charged for forging and misusing a degree from Yale University
. This led to domino reactions due to her career status as a Professor in Dongguk University
along with a curator position at an art gallery known to have many ties with both economical and political figures.
(rare) or given by the University Grants Commission
. Universities can be established only by an act of parliament, to date no private university has been established in Sri Lanka.
, was discovered to have an MBA degree from Fairfax University
. Aware that claiming an MBA from this diploma mill would be illegal in many states in the USA, Littorin tried to convince the Swedish media and people that the MBA was granted to him in good order. Probably due to the fact that he did not let anyone peer review his thesis, he was eventually forced to remove the reference from his official CV
, but he remained in office.
, EPF Lausanne) and those from Fachhochschule
-institutions are protected and it is a criminal offense, under unfair competition
legislation, to use any unfounded academic or occupational qualifications. The mere keeping of such a title, however, is legal. Thus, one can call oneself an LL.M., but must not use when competing for clients.
There are three notable diploma mills in Switzerland: Freie Universität Teufen, Freie Universität Herisau and Freie Universität Zug.
, it is illegal to offer something that may be mistaken for a UK degree unless the awarding body is on a list maintained by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
. Degrees must be awarded by 'recognised bodies', which include universities and other higher education institutions with 'degree awarding powers'. However degree programmes may be advertised and run by a much wider range of 'listed bodies' whose academic standards and quality are assured by a 'recognised body' which formally awards the degree.
UK Trading Standards officers have had notable success in countering a large diploma mill group based abroad that was using British place-names for its "universities".
lacks direct plenary authority to regulate schools and, consequently, the quality of an institution's degree. However, the Federal Trade Commission
works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices including those in the field of education and alerts United States' consumers about diploma mills by delineating some tell-tale signs in its official web page. Under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965
, as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education that they accredit. Some degree mills have taken advantage of the Establishment Clause
and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
by representing themselves as seminaries
, since in many jurisdictions religious institutions can legally offer degrees in religious subjects without government regulation.
Although the DipScam operation in the 1980s led to a decline in diploma mill activity across the United States, the lack of further action by law enforcement, uneven state laws, and the rise of the Internet
have combined to reverse many of the gains made in previous years. In 2005, the US Department of Education launched its Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees. A number of states have passed bills restricting the ability of organizations to award degrees without accreditation.
Jurisdictions that have restricted or made illegal the use of credentials from unaccredited schools include Oregon
, Michigan
, Maine
, North Dakota
, New Jersey
, Washington, Nevada
, Illinois
, Indiana
, and Texas
. Many other states are also considering restrictions on the use of degrees from unaccredited institutions.
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
s and diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
, and the organization is motivated by making a profit
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
. These degrees are often awarded based on construed life experience. Some such organizations claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved accrediting bodies
Accreditation mill
An accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the terminology is the assumption that the "mill" has low...
set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity.
While the terms "degree mill" and "diploma mill" are commonly used interchangeably, within the academic community a distinction is sometimes drawn:
- A "degree mill" issues "real" diplomas from unaccredited "universities," which may be legal in some states but are generally illegitimate universities.
- A "diploma mill" issues counterfeit diplomas which bear the names of legitimate universities.
Medical diploma mills have operated, and have been blacklisted, in the United States for over 120 years.
Common attributes of diploma mills
Diploma mills are frequently named to sound confusingly similar to those of prestigious accreditedEducational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
academic institutions. Despite the fact that trademark law is intended to prevent this situation, diploma mills continue to employ various methods to avoid legal recourse
Legal recourse
A legal recourse is an action that can be taken by an individual or a corporation to attempt to remedy a legal difficulty.* A lawsuit if the issue is a matter of civil law* Many contracts require mediation or arbitration before a dispute can go to court...
. Several diploma mills have adopted British-sounding names, similar but not identical to the names of legitimate universities, apparently to take advantage of the United Kingdom's reputation for educational quality in other parts of the world. Some examples of British-sounding names used by diploma mills are "Shaftesbury University", "University of Dunham", "Redding University", and "Suffield University".
In their marketing and advertising campaigns, diploma mills will often misleadingly claim to be "accredited" when, in fact, many are found to have been endorsed by "dummy" accreditation boards set up by company affiliates. In an attempt to appear more legitimate to potential students, accreditation mill
Accreditation mill
An accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the terminology is the assumption that the "mill" has low...
s based in the United States may model their websites after real accrediting agencies overseen by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a United States organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation in order to certify the quality of higher education...
(CHEA). Some may even advertise services for transcript notation and diploma verification in order to seem more legitimate. Another typical ploy is for mills to claim to be internationally recognized by organizations such as UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. UNESCO, however, has no authority to recognize or accredit higher education institutions or agencies, and has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation. As diploma mills are typically also licensed to do business, it is common practice within the industry to misrepresent their business license as indicating government approval of the institution.
Compared to legitimately accredited institutions, diploma mills tend to have drastically lowered requirements for academic coursework
Coursework
Coursework is the name for work carried out by students at university or middle/high school that contributes towards their overall grade, but which is assessed separately from their final exams. Coursework can, for example, take the form of experimental work, or may involve research in the...
, with some even allowing their students to purchase credentials without any education. Students may be required to purchase textbooks, take tests, and submit homework, but degrees are nonetheless conferred after little or no study.
Buyers often use the diplomas to claim academic credentials for use in securing employment (e.g., a schoolteacher may buy a degree from a diploma mill in order to advance to superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
). Some diploma mills claim to be based outside the country they market to. This is common with "offshore" jurisdictions.
Characteristics
Diploma mills share a number of characteristics that differentiate them from respected institutions, although some legitimate institutions can also exhibit one or more such characteristics. Some common characteristics are:- They lack accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, although not all unaccredited institutions of higher learningUnaccredited institutions of higher learningUnaccredited institutions of higher education are colleges, trade schools, seminaries, and universities which do not have formal educational accreditation....
are diploma mills. Some diploma mills claim accreditation by an accreditation millAccreditation millAn accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the terminology is the assumption that the "mill" has low...
while referring to themselves as being "fully accredited". Some institutions base their assertions of academic legitimacy on claims of affiliation with respected organizations (such as UNESCO) that are not engaged in school accreditation. Promotional materials may use words denoting a legal status such as "licensed", "state authorized", or "state-approved" to suggest an equivalence to accreditation. Some advertise other indicators of authenticity that are not relevant to academic credentials. For example, the University of Northern Washington advertises that its degrees are "attested and sealed for authenticity by a government appointed notaryNotary publicA notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
" although notarization certifies only that the document was signed by the person named. - No teaching facilities — the address is a postal box or mail forwarding service or suite numbers.
- There is little or no interaction with professors. Even if comments and corrections to coursework are given, they do not affect getting the degree. The professors may serve only to write compliments to the "student" that can be given as references.
- Name of institution is deceptively similar to well known reputable universities.
- Degrees can be obtained within a few days, weeks or months from the time of enrollment, and back-dating is possible.
- Either there are no faculty members or they hold advanced degrees from the institution itself or from other diploma mills. They may also sport legitimate degrees that are, however, unrelated to the subject they teach.
- Academic credit is offered for "life experience," and this is featured heavily in the selling points of the institution.
- Tuition and fees are charged on a per-degree basis rather than on a per-term or per-course basis.
- Prospective students are encouraged to "enroll now" before tuition or fees are increased, or they qualify for a "fellowship", "scholarship" or "grant" or they're offered deals to sign up for multiple degrees at the same time.
- The institution has no library, personnel, publication or research. In short, very little that is tangible can be found about the "institution".
- Doctoral theses and dissertations are not available from University Microfilms InternationalUniversity Microfilms InternationalUniversity Microfilms International or UMI, was founded in the 1930s by Eugene Power in Ann Arbor. By June 1938, Power worked in two rented rooms from a downtown Ann Arbor funeral parlor, specializing in microphotography to preserve library collections...
or a national repository or even the institution's own library, if it has one. - Promotional literature contains grammatical and spelling errors, words in Latin, extravagant or pretentious language, and sample diplomas. The school's website looks amateurish or unprofessionally made.
- The school is situated in the United States but the website does not have an .edu top-level domainTop-level domainA top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
. However, an .edu domain cannot be taken as verification of school quality or reputation, as enforcement has sometimes been lax, resulting in some unaccredited schools retaining an .edu domain prior to any enforcement policy. Similarly, some non-US mills use a .ac top-level domain name (for Ascension Island) to give the impression of a genuine second-level academic domain name (e.g. .ac.uk). However, some legitimate academic institutions have registered .ac domains to prevent misuse of their names. - The school is advertised using e-mail spamE-mail spamEmail spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
(unsolicited electronic mail) or other questionable methods. - Jurisdiction shopping: the school is situated in another country or legal jurisdiction, where running diploma mills is legal, standards are lax or prosecution is unlikely. Splitting the business across jurisdictions is a way to sometimes avoid authorities, e.g., operating in one jurisdiction but using the mailing address in a different jurisdiction. Compare forum shoppingForum shoppingForum shopping is the informal name given to the practice adopted by some litigants to get their legal case heard in the court thought most likely to provide a favorable judgment...
and tax havenTax havenA tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....
. - Despite being situated in such a diploma mill-friendly country, the school has no students from that country, and is run entirely by non-native staff.
- In most of the European Union but not the UK, tertiary education is free of charge to students who pass highly competitive entrance examinations. In this environment, schools that have a tuition fee, lack entrance requirements, and are possibly based in another country, may be diploma mills; particularly when they match other criteria in this list. UK universities and other providers of recognised UK degrees charge tuition fees that may be similar to, or higher than, non-accredited diploma mills.
- Unusual academic subjects. Instead of "hard sciences", where competence is easier to verify, the subjects are esoteric and may be based on a pseudosciencePseudosciencePseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
, e.g. astrology, natural healing, and religious literature. This makes external verification impossible, because when they define their science, they can also define the educational standards without external oversight.
Legal considerations
Degrees and diplomas issued by diploma mills have been used to obtain employment, raises, or clients. Even if issuing or receiving a diploma mill qualification is legal, passing it off as an accredited one for personal gain is a crimeCrime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
in many jurisdictions. In some cases the diploma mill may itself be guilty of an offense
Offense (law)
In law, an offence is a violation of the criminal law .In England and Wales, as well as in Hong Kong the term "offence" means the same thing as, and is interchangeable with, the term "crime"....
, if it knew or ought to have known that the qualifications it issues are used for fraudulent purposes. Diploma mills could also be guilty of fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
if they mislead customers into believing that the qualifications they issue are accredited or recognized, or make false claims that they will lead to career advancement, and accept money on the basis of these claims.
Some unaccredited institutions include disclaimers in respect of accreditation in the small print of their contracts.
Author John Bear
John Bear
John Bjorn Bear is an American authority on distance education and a writer of creative reference works. Bear holds bachelor and master degrees from University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate from Michigan State University...
, a distance learning
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
and diploma mills expert has written that fake degrees are risky for buyers and consumers:
- "It is like putting a time bomb in your résumé. It could go off at any time, with dire consequences. The people who sell fake degrees will probably never suffer at all, but the people who buy them often suffer mightily. And — particularly if their "degree" is health-related — their clients may be seriously harmed."
Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, it is a criminal offense to call an institution a university, or issue university degrees, without authorization through an act of federal or state parliaments.
Under the Higher Education Support Act 2003
Higher Education Support Act 2003
The Higher Education Support Act 2003 codifies the existing aims of universities, recognises the status Universities of Australia in law, and introduces measures to strengthen Australia’s knowledge base.- Higher education providers :...
, corporations wishing to use the term "university" require approval from the relevant government minister, the Minister for Education (as of May 2010).
The corporate regulator Australian Securities and Investments Commission
Australian Securities and Investments Commission
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission is an independent Australian government body that acts as Australia's corporate regulator...
(ASIC) places strict controls on corporations wishing to use the term "university" and the name must not imply a connection with an existing university (e.g. University Avenue Newsagent Pty Ltd) if the applicant does not intend to provide education services.
The Corporations Regulations 2001 lists the 39 academic organisations permitted to use the title "university".
The use of higher education terms (such as "degree") is protected in state legislation, e.g. Higher Education (Qld) Act 2003.
Specific penalties are given within the individual acts and more generally are also covered by the "Misleading and Deceptive Conduct" provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974
Trade Practices Act 1974
The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 is an act of the Parliament of Australia. On 1 January 2011 the Trade Practices Act 1974 was renamed the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The act provides for protection of consumers and prevents some restrictive trade practices of companies. It is the key...
, permitting fines in excess of AUD $10M.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
According to The Law on Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina the names "University", "Faculty", "Academy" and "University of Applied Sciencies" can be used only by accredited educational institutions. Accreditation is the formal confirmation by Ministry of Education and Science of particular CantonCantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina serve as the second-level units of local autonomy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the two political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, Entity
Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina were created by the Dayton Agreement, which recognized a second tier of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina comprising two entities—a joint Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska -- each presiding over roughly one half of...
or District
Brcko District
Brčko District in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a neutral, self-governing administrative unit, under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, but prescribed by the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of BiH
BIH
BIH is a three letter initialism that can stand for:*Benign intracranial hypertension*Bihari language, ISO 639 alpha-3 language code*Bilateral inguinal hernia Bosnia and Herzegovina, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code...
which conducted the independent external quality assessment of educational institution. Only these institutions are allowed to award academic degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
and diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s.
Illegal use of academic titles or academic degrees and "non-accredited diplomas" may lead to prosecution, conviction, fines or even imprisonment.
Canada
In Canada all universities and colleges are under the direct supervision of the provincial and territorial governments, and there are no accreditation authorities, so the problem of degree mills is relatively rare. (see: higher education in CanadaHigher education in Canada
Higher education in Canada describes the constellation of provincial higher education systems in Canada and their relationships with the federal government, provinces, and territories.-Higher education systems in Canada:...
) For example, in Ontario the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000, regulates degree-granting authority. Any institution that wishes to a) offer a degree and/or b) use the term "university" must be authorized to do so under an Act of the Legislature or by the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities under the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000.
In 2006, the Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
reported concerns about "visa mills", fraudulent universities operated for the sole purpose of helping foreign nationals obtain student visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
s to allow them to enter Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
China
Most, but not all, universities and colleges in the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
are public institutions. The Ministry of Education, which has legal authority to regulate college enrollment and degree awarding, publishes a yearly list of qualified higher-education institutions. Institutions not on the list cannot admit students or award degrees.
Also, no institution may call itself a "university" or "college" without approval by a provincial-level education department. Any institution, public or private, which wishes to name itself after a geographic region larger than a province (e.g. "South China ... University") must go through the Ministry of Education. A new regulation forbids any new university or college from being named "national", "of China" or similar names.
Denmark
Most universities and colleges are public institutions; universities are self-governing, but financed by the state. However, some schools like TvindTvind
Tvind is an international school centre in the small town of Ulfborg in Denmark, founded in 1970. The schools in Denmark are a progressive part of the Danish educational landscape and have educated more than 40,000 students over the years...
's teacher college provide education, which are only accredited outside Denmark.
Finland
All universities and colleges are public institutions; universities are state institutions, and vocational universities are municipal organs. There are no private higher educational institutions and no legal mechanism to found or accredit any. Universities are explicitly defined in the University Act. The only state universities that operate as foundations rather than civil service departments are Aalto UniversityAalto University
Aalto University is a Finnish university established on January 1, 2010, by the merger of the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Art and Design Helsinki....
and Tampere University of Technology, since 2010, but both are still explicitly mentioned in the University Act.
For purposes of professional qualification, the use of foreign degree qualifications is regulated: if the name of a degree can be confused with a Finnish degree that requires more academic credit, the officials in charge of professional qualification must require it to be formatted in a manner to eliminate the confusion. For example, if a degree is called "Doctor
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
" but is in fact a lower degree (common in some cases), then this confusion has to be eliminated.
Germany
In GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, it is a criminal offense to call an institution a university, a university of applied sciences
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
, or issue academic degrees, without authorization through an act of the respective state's
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
Ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of Education. It is also a criminal offense to falsely claim a degree in Germany if it does not meet accredited approval.
Some corporate training programs in Germany use the English term "corporate university". Although such use of the term might be argued to be illegal, in practice it is tolerated since everyone understands that such programs are not actual universities.
Hong Kong
It is illegal under Hong Kong law's Chap. 320 Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance Sec. 8 to call an organisation a 'university' without approval from the Chief Executive in Council.Under HK Laws. Chap 200 Crimes Ordinance, Section 73, anyone who knowingly used false documents with the intention of inducing somebody to accept it as genuine, "is liable for a 14 years imprisonment term". Section 76 outlines that anyone who make or possess machines that creates false documents are also liable for 14 years jail time.
India
The University Grants CommissionUniversity Grants Commission (India)
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...
states, in section 22 of the University Grants Commission Act of 1956:
Ireland
Legitimate higher education qualifications in IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
are placed on, or formally aligned, with the National Framework of Qualifications. This framework was established by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or NQAI was set up under the Qualifications Act, 1999 to develop and promote the implementation of a National Framework of Qualifications across education and training in Ireland.-The Authority's role:The Authority’s principal tasks are as...
in accordance with the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act (1999). It is illegal under the Universities Act (1997) for any body offering higher education services to use the term "university" without the permission of the Minister for Education and Science. It is likewise illegal under the Institutes of Technologies Acts (1992–2006) to use the term "institute of technology" or "regional technology college" without permission.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, it is an offense under the Section 71 of the Education Act 1996 to:and Section 72 prescribes a fine not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.
Apart from the penalties prescribed by the Act above, other laws that regulate the establishment of universities prescribe various other penalties:
- Universities and University Colleges Act 1971
- Section 23 makes it an offense to:
- "establish, form or promote or do anything or carry on any activities for the purpose of establishing or forming or promoting the establishment or formation of a University or University College otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of this Act or any other written law regulating its establishment"
- prescribing a fine of ten thousand ringgitMalaysian ringgitThe Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...
or to imprisonment for a term of five years or to both upon conviction.
- Section 24 makes it an offence to:
- "establish, manage or maintain a higher educational institution with the status of University or University College"
- and/or to
- "issue to or confer on any person any degree or diploma purporting to be degree or diploma issued or conferred by a University or University College" unless it "is in accordance with the provisions of this Act or any other written law regulating its establishment"
- prescribing a fine of five thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term of three years or to both upon conviction.
- Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996
- Section 76 of the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act makes it an offence to:
- "establish, form, promote, operate, manage or maintain a private higher educational institution by the use of the word University, University College or branch campus"
- prescribing a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both upon conviction.
- Section 44 of the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act provides that:
- "only a private higher educational institution with the status of a University or a University College or a branch campus may award degrees"
- and Section 77 makes it an offence:
- "private higher educational institution which conducts any course of study or training programme for which a certificate, diploma or degree is awarded contrary to the provisions of Section 44"
- prescribing a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both upon conviction.
Furthermore, all legitimate higher education qualifications are placed on, or formally affiliated with the Malaysian Qualifications Framework
Malaysian Qualifications Framework
The Malaysian Qualifications Framework or the MQF is a unified system of post secondary qualifications offered on a national basis in Malaysia...
under the provisions of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007. Limited exemptions are however granted to organizations and institutions "where the teaching is confined exclusively to the teaching of any religion" or "any place declared by the Minister by notification in the Gazette not to be an educational institution" under the Education Act 1996.
Mexico
In July 2007, the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) of MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
issued an alert listing eleven institutions that are unaccredited in Mexico: Atlantic International University, Pacific Western University (PWU has operated as California Miramar University since 2007 and CMU is accredited by the DETC as of 2009), Endicott College (Endicott College
Endicott College
- History :Endicott was founded in 1939 by Eleanor Tupper and her husband, George O. Bierkoe, as a two-year women’s college. The college was issued its first charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in that year and graduated its first class in 1941. In 1944, it was approved by the state for...
in Massachusetts is fully accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
), Alliant International University
Alliant International University
Alliant International University is a private, non-profit higher education institution based in San Diego, California. It offers programs in six California cities and four locations outside the United States...
(AIU is accredited by the WASC
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
; it formerly operated as USIU (see next)), United States International University (now AIU), Newport University (not to be confused with University of Wales, Newport
University of Wales, Newport
The University of Wales, Newport is a university based in Newport, South Wales. The university has two campuses; Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city and a £35 million campus on the banks of the River Usk in Newport city centre opened in 2011...
), Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (a distance learning program operated by the Spanish government), Westbridge University, West Coast University
West Coast University
West Coast University is a for-profit, healthcare oriented university located in southern California and Dallas, Texas. WCU was founded in 1909 as an ophthalmology school . It has campuses in North Hollywood, Anaheim and Ontario, California...
(WCU is accredited by the ACICS
Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is a non-profit education corporation recognized by both the United States Secretary of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body that accredits institutions of...
), Bircham International University
Bircham International University
Bircham International University is a private independent institution of higher education via distance education that offers adult degree programs at professional, undergraduate and graduate levels. It is registered in Spain and Delaware. It formerly operated from the Bahamas, or the United Kingdom...
, and Vision International University
Vision International University
Vision International University is an unaccredited institution in Ramona, California offering academic degree programs designed to prepare men and women for professional service in Christian ministry...
.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands it is illegal for non accredited, non recognised institutes to bestow any legally protected academic titles (Titles equivalent to MA: meester (abbrev mr.); to MSc: ingenieur (abbrev ir.), doctorandus (abbrev drs.); Title equivalant to PhD: doctor (abbrev dr.)). The NVAONVAO
NVAO is the educational accreditation organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders. It was established by international treaty and for the purpose of ensuring the quality of higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders by accrediting study programmes.-Mission:The organisation's mission is to...
is the only agency allowed to accredite courses. Since the implementation of the Bologna process
Bologna process
The purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
, the Dutch universities have started to bestow the English titles MSc and PhD instead of their Dutch equivalents. These English versions of the title are not protected under Dutch law. Ironically, however, a diploma mill may bestow someone with a PhD title without violating Dutch law, but the recipient will not be allowed the protected title "doctor" or "dr.".
Partnerships with foreign educational institutions are possible. This is called the "U-bocht construction". In this case, the curricula are neither accredited by NVAO nor recognized by the Dutch Department of Education, since they count as foreign curricula (they are not seen as Dutch curricula). In this case, the graduates do not receive a Dutch diploma, but they receive a foreign diploma, issued by the educational institution which has a partnership with a Dutch educational institution. Whether they are diploma mills or not depends upon the laws and accreditation system of the country wherein the diploma is granted.
New Zealand
The New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Education Act prohibits use of the terms "degree" and "university" by institutions other than the country's eight accredited universities. In 2004 authorities announced their intention to take action against unaccredited schools using the words "degree" and "university," including the University of Newlands, an unaccredited distance-learning provider based in the Wellington suburb of Newlands
Newlands, New Zealand
Newlands is one of the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. It lies approximately 8km north of the city centre and to the east of its nearest neighbour Johnsonville. Newlands is located in a valley and covers two ridgelines, the side of one of which overlooks Wellington Harbour and up to...
. Other unaccredited New Zealand institutions reported to be using the word "university" included the New Zealand University of Golf in Auckland, the online Tawa-Linden and Tauranga Universities of the Third Age, and the Southern University of New Zealand. Newlands owner Rochelle M. Forrester said she would consider removing the word "university" from the name of her institution in order to comply with the law.
Nigeria
The National University Commission (NUC) was formed in 1999 to clamp down on diploma mill activity in the country. A concentrated effort by the NUC has resulted in a significant drop in diploma mill activity in Nigeria. An International Higher Education article states, "Attainment of the Nigerian vision of being one of the top 20 economies by 2020 will be compromised by the injection of such poor-quality graduates into the economy. Herein lies the distaste for and the raison d'etre for government's clampdown on degree mills.""In Nigeria, online degrees from unaccredited institutions are banned and employers are
not supposed to accept fraudulent degrees."
Pakistan
In Pakistan, Higher Education Commission is looking after all the activities related to the accreditation of universities in Pakistan. Known as the 'Recognized by HEC', universities are granted this status by the government established commission which is working under the Ministry of Education. All the recognized universities in Pakistan are listed on the HEC website.Philippines
Title IV (Crimes Against Public Interest), Section V, Art. 174 and Art. 175 of the Revised Penal Code of the PhilippinesRevised Penal Code of the Philippines
The Revised Penal Code contains the general penal laws of the Philippines. First enacted in 1930, it remains in effect today, despite several amendments thereto. It does not comprise a comprehensive compendium of all Philippine penal laws. The Revised Penal Code itself was enacted as Act No...
criminalizes the act of "Falsification of medical certificates, certificates of merit or service and the like." Art. 174 penalizes the maker or the manufacturer of such certificate, specifically a physician or surgeon in connection with the practice of his profession and a public official. Art. 175, on the other hand, penalizes the one who procures and knowingly uses such false certificate. Despite this, news and magazine articles appear from time to time reporting businesses operating along Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
which offer fake documents for sale.
Portugal
There was a long-lasting reputation of lower teaching standards and easier entrance requirements in some less reputed institutions of higher education, especially in private institutions and the smallest regional state-run polytechnicsPolytechnic (Portugal)
A polytechnic is a higher education educational institution in Portugal created in the 1980s. After 1998 they were upgraded to institutions which are allowed to confer licenciatura degrees. Before then, they only awarded short-cycle degrees which were known as bacharelatos and didn't provide...
, which seemed rather relaxed. A number of scandals, suspicions and affairs involving private higher education institutions (for example, major private universities like Universidade Moderna (1998), Universidade Independente (2007) and Universidade Internacional (2007), among others), and a general perception of many of those institutions as having a tendentially relaxed teaching style with less rigorous criteria, have contributed to their poor reputation which originated a state-run inspection of private higher education institutions in 2007. In some fields, a number of private, and state-run polytechnic or university institutions, did not provide degree programs of academic integrity comparable to those provided at the most reputed departments of the major Portuguese state-run classic universities. In the late 2000s, there was a growing effort to define nonaccredited universities or accredited institutions which awarded nonaccredited degrees, as diploma mills, in order to raise awareness about the problem. In 1999 alone, over 15,000 students enrolled in Portuguese higher learning institutions (universities, public and private, polytechnical institutions, etc.) and newly graduates in the fields of engineering and architecture, were enrolled or were awarded a degree in a non-accredited course. Those students and graduates with no official recognition were not accredited professionals in their presumed field of expertise. At the same time, only one accredited engineering course was offered by a private university, and over 90% of the accredited courses with recognition in the fields of engineering, architecture, and law were provided by state-run universities. Since 2007, the State plans to enforce in the near future more stringent rules for all kind of public and private degree-conferring institutions.
Romania
The Spiru Haret UniversitySpiru Haret University
The Spiru Haret University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1991 by the president of Tomorrow's Romania Foundation, Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, as part of the teaching activities of this foundation. The university claims this has been done according to the model used by the...
has been considered in Romania and outside it as a diploma mill. Although it received accreditation
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
from Romania's National Council of Academic Evaluation
National Council of Academic Evaluation
The Romanian National Council of Academic Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions, is called in Romanian "Consiliul Naţional de Evaluare Academică şi Acreditare a Instituţiilor de Învăţământ Superior"...
in 2002, step by step its accreditations were cancelled for a large number of specializations. Also, there are many voices which dispute the level of the education offered. The scandal peaked in the summer of 2009, when the Minister of Education suggested that the way license diplomas are obtained could become the object of an inquiry of the Romanian public prosecutors.
Petre Andrei University from Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
has been demanded to comply with the Law no. 408/2002, otherwise it will be liquidated. The same holds for Apolonia University from Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
(speaking of Law no. 481/2002 instead of Law no. 408/2002).
University Al. Ghica and University Europa Ecor, both from the town of Alexandria, Romania, made the object of an operation of the Romanian National Anti-corruption Prosecution Office, for selling 15,000 false diplomas in exchange for Euro 3,000 per diploma. Their profits have been estimated to about Euro 45 million per year.
The Romanian newspaper Gândul has reported that the Christian University "Dimitrie Cantemir" from Bucharest started 34 Master's degree curricula which have no legal ground. According to the rector of the University, Mrs. Corina Dumitrescu, the law has a loophole, since it uses a continuous present for institutional evaluation, which is uncharacteristic of the Romanian language. She says that in her opinion institutional evaluation (required by law) may also happen after the curricula have been taught. The actual wording in Romanian is "universitate acreditată supusă periodic evaluării instituţionale", and Dumitrescu argues that "care se supun" means that an accredited institution can be evaluated "today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" (and presumably, any time), not that it needs to have been evaluated in the past. For the study year 2010-2011, 16 Master's curricula from nine of its faculties are listed as accredited in Order no. 4630/2010 of the Department of Education.
The Minister Daniel Petru Funeriu has declared that the Spiru Haret University will become illegal. "The new law provides very clearly what happens in such situations: the institution of higher education which has unaccredited curricula automatically becomes illegal and enters into liquidation" said Funeriu for Bună Ziua Iași, showing that this is of application for any university with unaccredited curricula, not just for the Spiru Haret University. On February 10, 2011 have to have been stopped any specializations and curricula which are neither accredited nor temporarily authorized, according to Art. 361 paragraph 4 of the Law of National Education. The continuation of such curricula causes the liquidation of the university and the criminal responsibility for those guilty of breaking the law.
According to the newspaper Gândul, the situation of those who graduated unaccredited and unauthorized studies will be decided in September, following a project drawn up by ARACIS and consulting the National Rectors' Council. Funeriu recognized that it applies to several universities and that his department does not have the right to cancel diplomas.
South Korea
It is illegal to falsely claim a degree in South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
if it does not meet accredited approval. For example, in March 2006 prosecutors in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
were reported to have "broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras." People who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged.
In early 2007, Shin Jeong-ah
Shin Jeong-ah
Shin Jeong-ah , once known as the "art world's Cinderella," is a former assistant professor of art at Dongguk University and chief curator at Sungkok Art Museum who created a national scandal in South Korea shortly after her appointment in July 2007 as joint artistic director of the 2008 Gwangju...
(신정아) was criminally charged for forging and misusing a degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. This led to domino reactions due to her career status as a Professor in Dongguk University
Dongguk University
Dongguk University is a private, coeducational university in South Korea. It operates campuses in Seoul, in Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang province and in Los Angeles, United States...
along with a curator position at an art gallery known to have many ties with both economical and political figures.
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka until 1999 only state universities could grant degrees, however amendments to the Universities Act that year gave certain institutions other than state universities power to grant degrees. This ability to grant degrees is established by an Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
(rare) or given by the University Grants Commission
University Grants Commission (Sri Lanka)
The University Grants Commission is the body responsible for funding most of the State Universities in Sri Lanka, and operates within the frame work of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978, itself established in 1979. A public organization, established under the Parliament Act No 16 of 1978...
. Universities can be established only by an act of parliament, to date no private university has been established in Sri Lanka.
Sweden
In June 2007, the Swedish Minister for Employment, Sven-Otto LittorinSven-Otto Littorin
Sven Otto Julius Littorin is a Swedish Moderate Party politician. He was Minister for Employment in the cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt, and former Secretary General of the Moderate Party...
, was discovered to have an MBA degree from Fairfax University
Fairfax University
Fairfax University was an unaccredited distance-learning institution established in Louisiana in 1986 and discontinued in 2004. Prior to losing its state of Louisiana license in 2001, it held graduation ceremonies in the US. Its president was the British academic Alan M. Jones, PhD. John Bear was...
. Aware that claiming an MBA from this diploma mill would be illegal in many states in the USA, Littorin tried to convince the Swedish media and people that the MBA was granted to him in good order. Probably due to the fact that he did not let anyone peer review his thesis, he was eventually forced to remove the reference from his official CV
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
, but he remained in office.
Switzerland
In federal law, qualifications from federal Institutes of Technology (ETH ZurichETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, EPF Lausanne) and those from Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
-institutions are protected and it is a criminal offense, under unfair competition
Unfair competition
Unfair competition in a sense means that the competitors compete on unequal terms, because favourable or disadvantageous conditions are applied to some competitors but not to others; or that the actions of some competitors actively harm the position of others with respect to their ability to...
legislation, to use any unfounded academic or occupational qualifications. The mere keeping of such a title, however, is legal. Thus, one can call oneself an LL.M., but must not use when competing for clients.
There are three notable diploma mills in Switzerland: Freie Universität Teufen, Freie Universität Herisau and Freie Universität Zug.
United Kingdom
In the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it is illegal to offer something that may be mistaken for a UK degree unless the awarding body is on a list maintained by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
. Degrees must be awarded by 'recognised bodies', which include universities and other higher education institutions with 'degree awarding powers'. However degree programmes may be advertised and run by a much wider range of 'listed bodies' whose academic standards and quality are assured by a 'recognised body' which formally awards the degree.
UK Trading Standards officers have had notable success in countering a large diploma mill group based abroad that was using British place-names for its "universities".
United States
The United States does not have a federal law that would unambiguously prohibit diploma mills, and the term "university" is not legally protected on a national level. The United States Department of EducationUnited States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
lacks direct plenary authority to regulate schools and, consequently, the quality of an institution's degree. However, the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices including those in the field of education and alerts United States' consumers about diploma mills by delineating some tell-tale signs in its official web page. Under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965
Higher Education Act of 1965
The Higher Education Act of 1965 was legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. Johnson chose Texas State University–San Marcos as the signing site...
, as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education that they accredit. Some degree mills have taken advantage of the Establishment Clause
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
The Establishment Clause is the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating, Together with the Free Exercise Clause The Establishment Clause is the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,...
and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
The Free Exercise Clause is the accompanying clause with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause together read:...
by representing themselves as seminaries
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, since in many jurisdictions religious institutions can legally offer degrees in religious subjects without government regulation.
Although the DipScam operation in the 1980s led to a decline in diploma mill activity across the United States, the lack of further action by law enforcement, uneven state laws, and the rise of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
have combined to reverse many of the gains made in previous years. In 2005, the US Department of Education launched its Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website to combat the spread of fraudulent degrees. A number of states have passed bills restricting the ability of organizations to award degrees without accreditation.
Jurisdictions that have restricted or made illegal the use of credentials from unaccredited schools include Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Washington, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Many other states are also considering restrictions on the use of degrees from unaccredited institutions.
See also
- For-profit schoolFor-Profit SchoolFor-profit education refers to educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking businesses....
- Essay millEssay millAn essay mill is a ghostwriting service that sells essays and other homework writing to university and college students. Since plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty or academic fraud, universities and colleges may investigate papers suspected to be from an essay mill by using Internet...
- Educational accreditationEducational accreditationEducational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
- Unaccredited institutions of higher learningUnaccredited institutions of higher learningUnaccredited institutions of higher education are colleges, trade schools, seminaries, and universities which do not have formal educational accreditation....
- List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning
- List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
- .edu.eduThe domain name edu is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The "domain is intended for accredited post-secondary educational U.S. institutions" and this intention is strictly enforced....
- Job fraudJob fraudJob fraud refers to fraudulent or deceptive activity or representation on the part of an employee or prospective employee toward an employer. It is not to be confused with employment fraud, where an employer scams job seekers or fails to pay wages for work performed. There are several types of job...
- Mickey Mouse degreesMickey Mouse degreesMickey Mouse degrees is the dysphemism built from the common usage of the term "Mickey Mouse" as a pejorative. It came to prominence in the UK after use by the national tabloids of the United Kingdom to label certain university degree courses worthless or irrelevant.- Origins :The term was used by...
- Name It and Frame It?Name It and Frame It?Name It and Frame It? is a self-published 1993 book by Steve Levicoff about unaccredited Christian colleges and universities, exploring the accreditation process and the nature of legitimate and illegitimate unaccredited institutions of higher learning. The fourth edition contains updated...
- Underwater basket weavingUnderwater basket weavingUnderwater basket weaving is an idiom referring in a negative way to supposedly easy and/or worthless college or university courses, and used generally to refer to a perceived decline in educational standards....
- Who's Who scamWho's Who scamA Who's Who scam is a fraudulent Who's Who biographical directory. While there are many legitimate Who's Who directories, some individuals have created Who's Who scams that involve the selling of "memberships" in Who's Who directories that are created online and through instant publishing services...
- List of animals with fraudulent diplomas
Books
- Levicoff, SteveSteve LevicoffSteve F. Levicoff is an American writer and former educator best known for his writings, in books and online, on adult higher education and distance learning, and his practical guides to law for evangelists and Christian counselors...
: Name It and Frame It?Name It and Frame It?Name It and Frame It? is a self-published 1993 book by Steve Levicoff about unaccredited Christian colleges and universities, exploring the accreditation process and the nature of legitimate and illegitimate unaccredited institutions of higher learning. The fourth edition contains updated...
: New Opportunities in Adult Education and How to Avoid Being Ripped Off by 'Christian' Degree Mills. Self published. (4th ed., 1995) - Bear, JohnJohn BearJohn Bjorn Bear is an American authority on distance education and a writer of creative reference works. Bear holds bachelor and master degrees from University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate from Michigan State University...
: Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, Ten Speed PressTen Speed PressTen Speed Press is a publishing house founded in Berkeley, California in 1970. Philip Wood, founder and publisher, began his career with Barnes & Noble in 1962 and in 1965 at Penguin books...
, 2001 - Noble, DavidDavid F. NobleDavid Franklin Noble was a critical historian of technology, science and education, best known for his seminal work on the social history of automation. In his final years he taught in the Division of Social Science, and the department of Social and Political Thought. at York University in...
: Digital Diploma Mills: The Automation of Higher Education, Monthly Review Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58367-061-0 - Checcacci, Claudia; Finocchietti, Carlo; Lantero, Luca: Cimea - against the mills: How to spot and counter diploma mills, CIMEA - Italian Naric centre, 2010
General information and news
- "Distance Learning and Online Degrees: Are They Worth It?" (Flash Video). Massachusetts School of Law Educational Forum. 2007. Kurt Olson, Prof. Law, with 3 guests.
- Diploma Mills: general information, identifying, avoiding. eLearners.com.
- Fake degree scandal roils Pakistani politics. Zarar Khan, Nahal Toosi (Associated Press). ABC News. June 29, 2010.
Accreditation databases
- The World Higher Education Database (IAU/UNESCO) List of accredited schools throughout the world
- Database for Accreditation in the United States (CHEA)
- Database for Accreditation in the United States (USDE)
- Database for Accreditation in the United Kingdom
- Database for Accreditation in Australia
- Database for Accreditation in India
- Database for Accreditation in Malaysia
- Database for Accreditation in the Netherlands
- Database for Accreditation in Pakistan
- Database for Accreditation in the Philippines
- Database for Accreditation in Russia
- Database for Accreditation in Sweden
- National Recognition Information Centres