By John Aldrich
Associate Vice President, Military Relations at American Military University
When I worked as an education counselor for the Marine Corps and the Navy, I would often meet service members who had been hooked into programs operated by nefarious businesses offering degree completions in record time. Service members would often stop into our education center armed with brochures with images of fancy campus buildings and names of universities that sounded very similar to nationally recognized universities. Often, they would stop in just to see if the school in question was legitimate. When looking at any college or university, just remember that “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true.” There are many fake universities that will simply mail you a diploma without you doing any work. They often have very real sounding names, realistic websites, and appear to be accredited. However, the accreditation is from a fake agency.
It wasn’t too long ago that many online universities were thought to be nothing more than “diploma mills.” Today, however, some of the most highly attended universities serving today’s military are online universities. While some lingering doubts remain, online programs meet the same standards as their brick and mortar counterparts. In fact, most brick and mortar universities have adopted robust online learning programs to balance their campus based programs.
As a military member, it pays to be educated when shopping for a college or university. For example, diploma mill universities may have testing agencies that promise unrealistic completion rates for CLEP and DANTES testing; schools with questionable accreditation prey on military members. When researching any university, online or brick and mortar, keep the following in mind:
1. Accreditation, Accreditation, Accreditation…
Is the school regionally or nationally accredited?
For a full listing of reputable accrediting bodies, visit: The Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions & Programs. If the school’s accreditation is by one of the accrediting bodies listed, then there is a good chance that it is a legitimate school.
2. Stop by your local base education center.
They can help you to determine the school’s accreditation. The education center can also help to find out if the school is a Service Members Opportunity College member, or if the school is VA eligible.
Don’t be fooled by slick brochures and fancy sales pitches. Protect yourself and your military benefits by doing a little homework. When in doubt, get help from your local education center.
John is the Associate Vice President of Military Relations at American Military University (AMU). Prior to joining AMU, John served as an Education Services Specialist for Marine Corps Base Twenty-nine Palms California, Director of Career Services and Job Placement at the Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort South Carolina, Education Services Specialist for Navy College Programs, Sicily, Italy, Academic Advisor for undecided students and student athletes at the University of Rhode Island, and John served as a Naval Hospital Corpsman, Fleet Marine Forces.
John earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Sciences and Services, and a Master of Science in College Student Personnel from the University of Rhode Island. John is married to Captain Dianne DeVoll Aldrich, USN (RET).
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