Southern California Independent Educational Studies

This company claims to provide high school diplomas for a $300 advance fee. According to the company they are an alternative education program, and do not claim to be an accredited program approved by the State Department of Education. Diplomas obtained through this company may or may not be recognized as a valid diploma or GED equivalent.

Our experience with similar offers has been that students who have obtained these diplomas find they are useless, and usually unsuccessfully seek refunds. These offers are commonly referred to as diploma mills. Diploma mills are schools that are more interested in taking your money than providing you with a quality education Diploma mills require little, if any, academic work in order to earn a degree. Degrees from diploma mills are sometimes based on life experience alone or a level of academic work that is far below what an accredited postsecondary institution would require, however the result is a degree that is meaningless and has no value They operate without supervision of a state or professional agency and grant diplomas which are fraudulent, or because of the lack of proper standards, worthless. Some dishonest consumers may knowingly seek the services of a diploma mill for the express purpose of obtaining a fraudulent degree to be used for the purpose of meeting educational requirements of an employer when seeking employment, or to validate identity theft.

Diploma mills often claim accreditation by a fake accrediting agency to attract more students to their degree programs and make them seem more legitimate. The fake accrediting agency is just for show, and offers it’s accreditation for a fee without an in-depth review of the school’s programs or teachers. They are not concerned with the quality of education provided to students. In some states, it can be illegal to use a degree from an institution that is not accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

We suggest careful evaluation of any correspondence or online degree offer. Watch out for schools that charge on a per-degree basis, or offer discounts for enrolling in multiple degree programs. Accredited Institutions charge by credit hours, course or semester. They generally offer little or no interaction with professors, and typically choose names that are similar to well known reputable universities. Carefully check on addresses that seem like box numbers or suites. The learning institution you have selected may be someone’s attic.

Remember it isn't enough to know that an institution is accredited; you need to find out as much as you can about the accrediting agency. Your efforts will be worth your time and energy. Because diploma mills aren't accredited by a nationally recognized agency, you will not find the institution's accrediting agency on the U.S. Department of Education's List of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's (CHEA) List of Participating and Recognized Organizations