Do Diploma Mills actually exist in real life?

Yes, diploma mill does exist in real life. Theoretically speaking, diploma mill is higher education institution operating without state supervision. The diplomas offered by diploma mill are fraudulent in nature. Therefore, there is not much of a surprise that these diplomas are not accepted by majority of companies and universities. If you are interested in taking admission at higher education level or looking for a new job, make sure that you earn a diploma from an accredited institute.

Diploma Mills:

Diploma Mills are basically fraudulent universities that provide potential students diplomas or degrees without any sort of study. To get diploma or degree from these fraudulent universities, all you need to do is to send them money through demand draft or bank transfer. The significant factor here is that you do not need to attend classes in order to earn a degree or a diploma from these fraudulent universities.

Media Coverage:

There has been quite a bit of media coverage regarding diploma mills in both print and electronic media in the last six months. Among other routines, it’s the responsibility of the Office of Degree Authorization to terminate fraudulent degree activities.

Operation:

Recent study has come to the conclusion that most of the diploma mills operate with the help of Internet while hiding their true identities. Before taking admission in any degree program, make sure that you check the accreditation of the institute first. If the institute you have opted for is not accredited, there is a strong possibility that you are dealing with the diploma mill.

Why are Diploma Mills a problem?

Diploma Mills are basically fraud, whose main objective is to make money while offering no service. There are plenty of them that devalue college degrees by offering degrees to students without any sort of study. Because of this, value of accredited degrees also suffers and employers start rejecting job application of students who have earned an online degree.

Legality:

Diploma Mills are not given a legal status by any of the US States. However, there are some US States that allow almost any individual to operate a university without getting accreditation from state authorities. It includes Idaho, Alabama, Hawaii, California, Montana, Mississippi and Wyoming. If the university you have opted for is a diploma mill, it is advisable that you contact the Office of Degree Authorization. It is worth mentioning in this regard that Office of Degree Authorization will investigate the whole situation and if your finding is correct, there is a strong possibility that they will stop the operation of a diploma mill.

Some people believe that all unaccredited universities are diploma mills. This is not true. There are lots of universities operating that are not accredited but the quality of their degree programs is in par with the traditional degree program. However, not being accredited in nature, it is recommended that you do not take admission in these universities as the degree you are going to earn is not going to help you in your career.