About Diploma Mills

A diploma or degree mill is an entity that sells postsecondary credentials without requiring appropriate academic achievement. These scam operations can be difficult to trace because they usually use mail drops and multiple addresses. Numerous degree mills operate on the Internet, where they often masquerade as institutions of distance learning. Legitimate distance-learning providers are recognized in the countries where they are located, and their status can be verified by contacting the relevant educational authorities. Most degree mills also claim accreditation by one or more fictitious “national,” “international,” “worldwide” or “global” accrediting agencies.

There are several types of diploma mills. Some are outright scams that sell degrees or diplomas without requiring any work whatsoever. Others appear more ambiguous in terms of their legitimacy, offering short-term degrees in exchange for some form of academic work, such as a thesis or dissertation. These organizations, according to experts, are the most dangerous kind of diploma mills because they appear to be legitimate.

Oregon Student Assistant Commission: Office of Degree Authorization
Provides comprehensive information on institutions it considers to be valid and invalid.

University Grants Commission, India
Provides a list of Indian institutions determined to be fake by the commission.

Office of Post-Secondary Education (OPE)
In light of the fact that the majority of diploma mills claim to be accredited by bodies in the United States, the Office of Post-Secondary Education has created this resource to verify the legitimacy of U.S. accrediting agencies.