Accreditation and diploma mills: how to tell a real degree from a bought one

Diploma mills and accreditation mills

The Colorado Department of Higher Education defines diploma mills as dubious providers that offer certificates and degrees considered bogus ³. It defines accreditation mills as dubious providers of accreditation and quality assurance ³.

The FTC says that if you think you are getting a degree without doing any work, chances are you are dealing with a college degree scam, known as a diploma mill ¹. It warns that fake programmes may make up an accreditor or falsely claim accreditation from a real organisation ¹.

Warning signs named by official bodies

• Degrees with no studying, exams or contact with instructors ¹.
• A full degree based only on life or work experience. The FTC says nobody legit will give you an entire degree based on your experience ¹.
• A degree promised in days, weeks or a few months ¹.
• Degrees that can be purchased, and little or no attendance required ³.
• Accreditation claimed without evidence, and no physical campus address ³.
• For accreditors: accredited status that can be bought, no site visits, and permanent accreditation with no periodic review ³.

United States: how accreditation works

The US Department of Education describes accreditation as a voluntary, nongovernmental process in which institutions and programmes are evaluated against quality standards ². The Secretary recognises select accrediting agencies, which appear on the Department's List of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies. The Department says it is not responsible for accrediting institutions itself ².

The Department warns that any institution can claim to be accredited ². It says that in some states it can be illegal to use a degree from an institution that is not accredited by a nationally recognised agency, except where the state licensing agency approves it ². It notes that federal guidance from OPM says degrees from diploma mills will not be accepted for federal positions ². The FTC points to College Navigator and the Department's accreditation database for checks ¹.

United Kingdom: Recognised and Listed Bodies

nidirect says universities and some colleges are given the power to award degrees by Act of Parliament or Royal Charter, and are known as Recognised Bodies ⁴. Listed Bodies run courses that lead to a degree from a Recognised Body but do not award degrees themselves ⁴. It adds that appearing on the visa sponsor register does not mean an institution can award recognised UK degrees ⁴.

GOV.UK sends readers to different lists by nation. For England it is the Office for Students Register. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales each publish their own lists ⁵. HEDD says it holds details of 471 recognised UK institutions and 243 bogus institutions ⁶.

India: the UGC fake universities list

In a written answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 195 on 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Education said 21 institutions were on the list of fake universities and 12 had been closed since 2014 ⁷. The answer said the government had asked the chief secretaries of all states and union territories to take appropriate action, that FIRs had been lodged against several self-styled institutions, and that show cause and warning notices had been issued ⁷. It said the government and the UGC issue public notices on the UGC website and social media to caution students and parents ⁷.