Diploma Mills and Institutional Accreditation

Diploma Mills
Diploma mills (or degree mills) are substandard or fraudulent “colleges” that offer potential students degrees with little or no serious work. Some are simple frauds, such as a mailbox to which people send money in exchange for paper that claims to be a college degree. Others require some nominal work from the student but do not require college-level course work that is normally required for a degree.

Questions to Ask to Determine if a Degree Provider Is a "Mill"
When considering a degree provider, an answer of "yes" to one or more of the following questions may be an indicator of a diploma mill.

• Can degrees be purchased?
• Is there a claim of accreditation when there is no evidence of this status?
• Is there a claim of accreditation from a questionable accrediting organization?
• Does the operation lack state or federal licensure or authority to operate?
• Is little if any attendance required of students, either online or in class?
• Are few assignments required for students to earn credits?
• Is a very short period of time required to earn a degree?
• Are degrees available based solely on experiences or résumé review?
• Are there few requirements for graduation?
• Does the operation fail to provide any information about a campus or business location or physical address and rely only on a post office box?
• Does the operation fail to provide a list of its faculty and their qualifications?
• Does the operation have a name similar to other well-known colleges and universities?
• Does the operation make claims in its publications for which there is no evidence?

To verify accreditation information for an educational organization, visit the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education accreditation website at www.ed.gov/accreditation.

For additional information about diploma or degree mills, visit the U.S. Department of Education's diploma mills and accreditation information webpage at www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills or email kfoster@osrhe.edu.

Institutional Accreditation Authorization/Recognition Process
Institutions that seek authorization and recognition to operate in Oklahoma must have accreditation status that details what the institution is authorized to offer as approved by one of the following three agencies:

1. A regional accrediting agency.
2. A national accrediting agency authorized to approve degree programs by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IV purposes.
3. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (see policy, Section 3.1).

If an institution is approved to offer degree programs by a regional or national accrediting body, that institution must seek authorization from the State Regents by following the process outlined below.

1. The institution’s president or director must write a formal request to offer program(s) to:

   Dr. Glen D. Johnson, Chancellor
   Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
   PO Box 108850
   Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101-8850
   

2. The letter of request must include the following information and materials:
   
   
   1. A letter from the institution’s accrediting agency stipulating what program(s) has/have been approved.
   2. The number of credit or clock hours that will be awarded.
   3. All student costs/fees related to the program(s).
   4. A review schedule by the accrediting agency for the programs requested (evaluation reports on the programs will be required once the report is acted upon by the agency).
   5. The start date for the program(s).
   6. The location and contact person for the Oklahoma location.
   7. Catalogs, recruiting materials, brochures, Web site information, etc.
   8. Additional materials upon request.

Subsequent programs approved by the accrediting agency after initial State Regents recognition must be submitted in the same manner. Changes in accreditation status must be reported immediately by both the accrediting agency and the institution.

Once this information is received and reviewed by the State Regents, an appropriate response will be sent to the institution's president or director.

For any questions regarding the institutional accreditation authorization / recognition process for Oklahoma, contact:

Kyle Foster
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
PO Box 108850
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-8850
405.225.9163

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Photo courtesy of Carl Albert State College.