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DIPLOMA MILLS
Links from this page to non-Coast Guard sites are provided as a customer service and do not represent any implicit or explicit endorsement by the United States Coast Guard of any commercial or private issues, products, or services presented there.
Diploma mill is term for an institution that
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isn't accredited
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operates primarily to make money
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issues degrees without regard to whether or not students receive an education.
Diploma mills often
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require no study, tests, or papers
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have no buildings or physical campus
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have no classes or professors
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advertise fraudulent degrees
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have deceptive ads (showing stately buildings, for example)
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have an official-looking seal on their web sites
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have an .edu suffix on their Internet addresses
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boast of accreditation but don't say which organizations have accredited them
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advertise they're "licensed by the state"
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offer degrees based on "portfolio assessments" rather than course work
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send mass e-mailings
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sell forged diplomas from legitimate schools
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issue diplomas from nonexistent schools with names extremely similar to the names of reputable schools
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prey on foreign students
Diploma mills
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pose a threat to legitimate institutions of higher learning by making all degrees suspect
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cause employers to waste time and money verifying degrees
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cost students many thousands of dollars each year
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waste students' time and energy
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can result in being fired or demoted at work or even criminal charge
A commercial web site has a page which provides more information about diploma mills and how to recognize and avoid them.