Scam Schools And Diploma Mills

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

I hate these schools. My poor mom got sucked into one of these and has incurred thousands in debt. She never used her degree. I am in Miami and we have loads of those down here, aimed at the Spanish-only speaking community who is desperate for getting a decent job here in the States. I agree with another poster, these schools should be illegal. They never give the quality of education they pay for.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

\I am looking at a school in Delaware that is accredited by the Delaware Board of Nursing (which I verified on the State of Delaware's website) and has a Better Business Bureau rating of "A". It is not a typical university or college but rather a trade school. They only train LPNs. The full-time program is one year in length while the part-time program is only a few months more.

The school sounds legitimate if it is approved to operate by the Delaware BON. Many fast-track LPN programs are found at private trade schools, so this is quite normal. In addition, the vast majority of LPN programs do not have NLN accreditation because it is simply not that important for schools that offer PN courses.

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

This is an informative article but some of us still aren't sure if a school is legit or not. I would appreciate some guidance on this.

I am looking at a school in Delaware that is accredited by the Delaware Board of Nursing (which I verified on the State of Delaware's website) and has a Better Business Bureau rating of "A". It is not a typical university or college but rather a trade school. They only train LPNs. The full-time program is one year in length while the part-time program is only a few months more.

The school is extremely small and shares their "campus" with other businesses such as an employment agency and the Justice of the Peace! I visited the school and had an interview with one of the teachers who took notes on everything I said. At the end of the interview she said I was accepted. She is an actual teacher there and was doing the interview on her lunch break. Some of the students talked with her so I know she teaches there and isn't just wearing a lab coat. I had a brief look at the classrooms which were nothing special but what would I expect for a place that shares the building with others?

They have a clinical lab area with everything that probably should be there for doing labs. The problem is, I am still not sure if they are a diploma mill or a scam school! Since they are a trade school and not a university I will not earn any degree but a diploma. I also live in an area where there are still some diploma nursing schools. Also, the school is overseen by a business I guess. The school is Leads School of Technology and their parent company is Leads Network, Inc. I can't find any information on the parent company and from what I found out on the school is not helpful. They have only been in business and accredited since 2007. From here, I am not sure what to do. The tuition sounds fairly reasonable I think: $16,002.00. This includes books, clinical uniform, fees for lab, fee for NCLEX prep course and other things that make sense. Their website ends with an "edu.com" and the site seems to be very well written. However, the teachers are not listed, just some of the staff. They have a working phone number of course. :)

Also, the tuition they ask can be paid in installments but they do not accept credit cards or personal checks. This was a red flag when I spoke with my dad about it. Although I got advice from someone else about the school, I'd like to know what other people think and if there is any other way if I can find out if they are a scam school or diploma mill. I think my next step is to call other nursing programs in the area and ask if they will accept my impending credits from this school if I decide to attend an RN program a bit later on. What do you guys think? What else can I watch out for? I have not paid any money at this point, not even for the application fee. I did submit all necessary paperwork and got my criminal background check, drug test, physical, and immunizations done.

I have seen threads on this forum about this school on the DE Nursing Program forum. Check those out & you can get an idea on how the program is. But if it's listed on the BON website,it's fine.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

The first schools that pop into my head when I read this thread are University of Phoenix and Kaplan University. As much as I don't believe these schools are true diploma mills as intended by the OP, I still cringe when someone says they earned a degree from one of these institutions, especially at the graduate level. I have never considered these schools to be of the same caliber as a long-standing traditional brick-and-mortar school.

[StudentNurseKitteh]

Here in California you pretty much HAVE TO go to a private, for-profit trade-style school for an LVN and then try to bridge through to RN. Because of CA's horrible economy, the public junior colleges and universities have severely limited the number of seats they offer in RN programs (lack of funding). There are 5-10 applicants for every seat and it takes highly-qualified candidates about 4 years to get in after finishing their pre-reqs. Or pay about 100k to a private university, if you have the grades to get in!

[WildcatFanRN, BSN, RN]

The first schools that pop into my head when I read this thread are University of Phoenix and Kaplan University. As much as I don't believe these schools are true diploma mills as intended by the OP, I still cringe when someone says they earned a degree from one of these institutions, especially at the graduate level. I have never considered these schools to be of the same caliber as a long-standing traditional brick-and-mortar school.

University of Phoenix near me is a brick and mortor school. It does have an extensive online component. I went when I lived in Tucson for one session and actually loved it. My math teacher worked as a missle engineer and taught evenings because he loved math and wanted to teach. And, boy could he teach. University of Phoenix has all the same accreditations that more traditional schools have. I just cringe at the cost.

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't consider U of Phoenix a scam school either. Now Kaplan on the other hand:uhoh21:

[klone, MSN, RN]

No, U of P is definitely not a diploma mill. It *is* a for-profit school, and is hella expensive.

[Stephalump]

I wouldn't consider U of Phoenix a scam school either. Now Kaplan on the other hand:uhoh21:

Yeah, I don't think they qualify as a scam. But YES they are expensive and I don't think they've reached the universal acceptance level they intended to. If you're already on your way in your career and just need more education to advance, they seem to be fine. But just starting out, you're probably not going to seem as competitive because of the stigma.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Meh serves you right for not researching the school you are going to.

[duckyluck111]

This is an informative article but some of us still aren't sure if a school is legit or not. I would appreciate some guidance on this.

I am looking at a school in Delaware that is accredited by the Delaware Board of Nursing (which I verified on the State of Delaware's website) and has a Better Business Bureau rating of "A". It is not a typical university or college but rather a trade school. They only train LPNs. The full-time program is one year in length while the part-time program is only a few months more.

The school is extremely small and shares their "campus" with other businesses such as an employment agency and the Justice of the Peace! I visited the school and had an interview with one of the teachers who took notes on everything I said. At the end of the interview she said I was accepted. She is an actual teacher there and was doing the interview on her lunch break. Some of the students talked with her so I know she teaches there and isn't just wearing a lab coat. I had a brief look at the classrooms which were nothing special but what would I expect for a place that shares the building with others?

They have a clinical lab area with everything that probably should be there for doing labs. The problem is, I am still not sure if they are a diploma mill or a scam school! Since they are a trade school and not a university I will not earn any degree but a diploma. I also live in an area where there are still some diploma nursing schools. Also, the school is overseen by a business I guess. The school is Leads School of Technology and their parent company is Leads Network, Inc. I can't find any information on the parent company and from what I found out on the school is not helpful. They have only been in business and accredited since 2007. From here, I am not sure what to do. The tuition sounds fairly reasonable I think: $16,002.00. This includes books, clinical uniform, fees for lab, fee for NCLEX prep course and other things that make sense. Their website ends with an "edu.com" and the site seems to be very well written. However, the teachers are not listed, just some of the staff. They have a working phone number of course. :)

Also, the tuition they ask can be paid in installments but they do not accept credit cards or personal checks. This was a red flag when I spoke with my dad about it. Although I got advice from someone else about the school, I'd like to know what other people think and if there is any other way if I can find out if they are a scam school or diploma mill. I think my next step is to call other nursing programs in the area and ask if they will accept my impending credits from this school if I decide to attend an RN program a bit later on. What do you guys think? What else can I watch out for? I have not paid any money at this point, not even for the application fee. I did submit all necessary paperwork and got my criminal background check, drug test, physical, and immunizations done.

Here is the thing, it is probably legitimate, however, like many "for profit" schools, your credits will likely not transfer anywhere else, so unless you know you know for sure that once you start, you will be able to keep going finish at this school, you might be out lots of $$, as opposed to say, a community college whose classes would likely be transferable to another program. They could go out of business or something and you'd be left with nothing.

[JulesDreamyT]

Thank you so much for your reply. :) This reassures me more that there are some that feel this school is legit. Thanks again!