Online Degree Mills: Are They Worth It?

Sara Sentor
Have you always wanted an online education and then gone online to check out your options and been tempted by the 'life experience degree' or the 'legitimate degree' given in two weeks only? Well, the fact is they are a waste of the money you spend on them. They are worthless in any developed nation. Every employer will know that the degree is worthless simply by visiting the Diploma Mill Police website.

Diploma Mills are fraudulent websites that generate their own degree transcripts, their own accreditation and have their own verification method. None of which will be upheld anywhere in the Western world.

The best way to find out if the online degree college that you have chosen is legitimate is go to the United States government site College Accreditation in the United States or Online Degree Mills, another site that offers information on how to spot and recognize Diploma Mills.

Both these sites list the accredited online colleges and help in differentiating between a fraudulent site and a legitimate college. Do not trust a college named in a legitimate forum like USA Today or in any of the search engines. That they come in the top during searches is simply a result of SEO savvies. Most of these diploma mills are located in small offices in Asia or Eastern Europe. These are small companies or individuals trying to make money by deceiving those people who need the degree and do not know the way scams run online, or even those who do not care.

The FBI is cracking down on these Diploma Mills and if you have a degree from one of these mills your employer may soon see a list online discrediting that degree. So, no, getting a degree from an unaccredited college online is not worth it. For a legitimate online degree you will have to struggle to keep up the grades, pay the money for the semester and put in the hours. That you will do so in the safety of your home and as per your schedule is the advantages these online institutes offer.

Online education is a great opportunity for adults and stay at home moms and anyone else who had to put their education on hold. However, care should be taken in choosing the institute as diploma mills will try to scam you out of your hard earned money.

Published by Sara Sentor

I have almost ten years experience in the field of web content. I have managed freelancers that provided web content for webmasters and created strategies to market keywords, key phrases and long tail keywords.  View profile

1 Comments

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  • Sophie9/16/2008

    Welcome to AC! Good advice, Sara. I'm glad to hear that the authorities are starting to crackdown on this type of crime. Earning a real degree is a lot of hard work!
    Sophie

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