Updated 04/27/06
Identifying a "Mill"
Identifying diploma mills and accreditation mills is not easy. A number of features of diploma mills are similar to familiar higher education institutions. A number of the features of accreditation mills are similar to well-known accrediting organizations. Nonetheless, prospective students and the public can look for several indicators that suggest an operation may be a diploma mill or an accreditation mill. It is the presence of a number of these features taken together that should signal to students and the public that they may, indeed, be dealing with a "mill."
A series of questions follow to help determine whether a provider is a diploma mill or an accreditation mill. In each case, if, for example, the answers to a majority of the questions below are "yes" students and the public should take this as highly suggestive that they may be dealing with a mill. In this circumstance, students and the public may be best served by looking for alternatives for higher education and quality assurance. *
Degree Mills: Questions to Ask
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Can degrees be purchased?
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Is there a claim of accreditation when there is no evidence of this status?
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Is there a claim of accreditation from a questionable accrediting organization?
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Does the operation lack state or federal licensure or authority to operate?
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Is little if any attendance required of students?
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Are few assignments required for students to earn credits?
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Is a very short period of time required to earn a degree?
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Are degrees available based solely on experience or resume review?
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Are there few requirements for graduation?
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Does the operating charge very high fees as compared with average fees charged by higher education institutions?
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Alternatively, is the fee so low that it does not appear to be related to the cost of providing legitimate education?
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Does the operation fail to provide any information about the campus or business location or address and relies, e.g., only on a post office box?
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Does the operation fail to provide a list of its faculty and their qualifications?
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Does the operation have a name similar to other well-known colleges and universities?
- Does the operation make claims in its publications for which there is no evidence?
Accreditation Mills: Questions to Ask
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Does the operation allow accreditation status to be purchased?
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Does the operation publish lists of institutions or programs they claim to have accredited without institutions and programs knowing that they are listed or having been accredited?
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Are high fees for accreditation required as compared to average fees from accrediting organizations?
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Does the operation claim that it is recognized (by, e.g., USDE or CHEA) when it is not?
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Are few if any standards for quality published by the operations?
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Is a very short period of time required to achieve accredited status?
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Are accreditation reviews routinely confined to submitting documents and do not include site visits or interviews of key personnel by the accrediting organization?
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Is "permanent" accreditation granted without any requirement for subsequent periodic review?
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Does the operation use organizational names similar to recognized accrediting organizations?
- Does the operation make claims in its publications for which there is no evidence?
* Source: CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) Fact Sheet #6-Important Questions about "Diploma Mills" and "Accreditation Mills" May 2003. www.chea.org
Internet Resources
GetEducated.com - Top 10 Signs: Online Diploma Mills & Degree Mills http://www.geteducated.com/articles/degreemills.asp
Council for Higher Education Accreditation - Degree Mills: An Old Problem and a New Threat - http://www.chea.org/degreemills/frmPaper.htm
State of Oregon Office of Degree Authorization - Beware of illegal diploma mills!
http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/diploma_mill.html
Where can I find information about U.S. Schools that ARE accredited?
Click here: http://www.maine.gov/education/highered/Non-Accredited/non-accredited.htm#alist
