Recently more than 20 state attorneys general have begun a joint investigation into for profit colleges that offer worthless degrees while scamming their students out of large amounts of money.  It should be noted that not all for profit colleges are scams, but there are a large number of for profit colleges, sometimes referred to as “diploma mills” that at times offer credit for your “life experience” and lure students in with promises of a helpful degree, but the students end up with a worthless degree and an empty wallet.  Sometimes the names of these scamming colleges and universities are confusingly similar to legitimate colleges.  For instance, Columbia State University is a diploma mill while Columbia University is an eminent Ivy League school.

TIP

Check out any school your are considering attending that is a for profit university with the United States Department of Education’s website at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation to make sure it is an accredited institution.