Online Colleges Vs. Diploma Mills: What's The Difference? (2024)

If an online college sounds too good to be true, it might be a scam. Knowing the red flags will help you avoid diploma mills.

Most diploma mills operate online. However, many legitimate colleges, including top-ranked universities, also offer distance learning options.

Fortunately, it’s easy to tell the difference between a real online college and a diploma mill. For example, online colleges hold accreditation from recognized agencies, while diploma mills often fake their accreditation credentials.

Diploma mills are a waste of money and may even open students up to legal problems. This page can help you learn how to spot online college scams and identify legitimate schools.

Diploma mills grant college degrees without meeting any academic standards. For example, one online university granted an MBA to a cat for $299. These schools scam students who are looking for legitimate degrees.

Legitimate, accredited colleges provide an education that meets academic standards, while diploma mills exist to scam students. Diploma mills do not educate students. Some do not even offer classes. Instead, they often charge a flat fee for a degree.

Many diploma mills operate online to lower the cost of scamming people. It’s best to avoid diploma mills.

What Does “Diploma Mill” Mean?

Diploma mills do not hold proper accreditation. However, most of them list fake accrediting agencies on their websites to confuse applicants.

Why does accreditation matter? Accredited schools undergo rigorous review from independent, nonprofit accrediting agencies. These accrediting bodies evaluate schools based on their student learning outcomes, academic mission, and faculty qualifications.

Schools that fail to earn accreditation do not meet these standards. Applicants can avoid falling for scams by checking for a school in the Database of Accredited Colleges and Programs before applying.

Federal laws do not explicitly ban diploma mills. While the U.S. Department of Education publishes a list of accredited colleges and programs, it does not list unaccredited colleges or diploma mills.

Some for-profit schools do hold accreditation, distinguishing them from diploma mills. This can make it difficult to identify online college scams.

Attending a diploma mill can have legal or professional consequences for graduates, however. In many states, job-seekers cannot list unaccredited degrees or diploma mills on their job applications. In some states, listing a diploma mill degree on job applications is fraud.

How does a diploma mill differ from a legitimate college, particularly when looking at online colleges?

Accreditation is the biggest indicator. If the program is not accredited by an accreditation agency approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), be suspicious.

At some diploma mills, students don’t even take classes to earn their degrees. Instead, the school offers credit for life experience or grant a degree for a fee. In contrast, legitimate colleges treat education as their primary function, requiring students to take classes and pay on a per-credit basis.

With so many online college scams, how can students avoid diploma mills and identify reputable online colleges? Lucky, there are a few signs and red flags to keep an eye out for.

Signs of a Quality Program

Warning Signs of a Scam Program

Diploma mills and unaccredited colleges can appear in searches for legitimate programs. To spot them, start by knowing the signs of scam programs and how to identify legitimate online colleges.

Always check the Database of Accredited Colleges and Programs to verify a school’s accreditation status. When looking at online college or program rankings, make sure the rankings only include accredited schools.

Students can avoid diploma mills by doing their due diligence when researching programs.

Legitimate online colleges hold accreditation, treat education as their primary mission, and accurately assess student learning. In contrast, diploma mills exist solely to make money from unsuspecting students. Before applying to online colleges, prospective applicants should research schools and their accreditation statuses.

Remember: Unaccredited degrees do not meet requirements for many careers, and buying a degree can put you in legal jeopardy.

Diploma mills might masquerade as legitimate colleges, but informed people can spot the difference. Dig into a school’s credentials, read up on its track record, and check it against accreditation databases. If you spot any red flags, cross the school off your list.