Fake Online Bachelor Degrees – what should you check for?

With the rise in demand for online bachelor degrees, many bogus learning institutions have mushroomed over the internet with the sole intention of taking advantage of innocent students seeking for a genuine degree. These so-called “Colleges” often attract applicants with their attractive degree programs which are boasts of easy graduation, low tuition fees, no examinations and credit given for life experience, all of which just sound too good to be true. Some of them even go to the extent of prospecting for customers by sending out bulk email citing university degrees for sale.

Therefore, with all the confusion generated, how can students sieve out the genuine from the bogus? This may be especially difficult for distance learning programs when students practically make their choices based on what is shown on a website. In many cases, especially for international students, it may not be feasible to visit the physical site of a college before enrolling. With this, making choices will really depend on the appearance and content of a website, which sometimes may not be an accurate judge of the creditability of a college.

One of the qualifying factors that can be utilized by students to make correct enrolment decisions is by determining the type of college accreditation that has been received by their college of consideration. If the college vaguely states itself as having “nationwide or worldwide accreditation” without stating specifically which regional accreditation body it is accredited with, then most likely this college does not possess legitimate accreditation.

In the U.S., college accreditation is awarded by one of the following six accreditation agencies which are all appointed by the National Board of Education – New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA), Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA), Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU). Each agency has been allocated responsibility for providing accreditation for schools in specific states. Therefore, it would be best to run checks on a particular online degree institution with the agency offering college accreditation for the state in which the college is registered in.

Another important clue to illegitimacy is mass-emails or mail offering degrees for sale. There are cases of online Bachelor degrees, Masters, or even online Doctorate degrees being obtained by a fixed tuition rate. Some bogus colleges even have the audacity to promise a degree in the mail within 7 days. These unethical businesses take advantage of people who must have a degree in order to get a decent job, or keep the one they have in the first place. However, others take big steps to appear above board and genuine. Displaying evidence of accreditation from a bogus website makes the “school” look real. But, unless one of the 6 authorized agencies is mentioned, it may not be an accredited school. In addition, the only way to earn a college degree is by honest hard work and dedication. If a site offers credit for life experiences, travel, work experience, educational background, or even the amount of books read in the past, rest assured it may not be an institute dedicated to qiality, legitimate and excellent learning.

In short, with the plethora of bogus degrees already causing employers to question online education, make sure your online Bachelor degree is earned from a college or university accredited by one of the six agencies endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education.

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