People often struggle with deciding what online degree to pursue after graduation. While your education is of great value, you also need to consider the cost of your studies. In today’s world, the cost of living is increasing, but the value of a college degree is not. This can make researching online degrees extremely confusing because you could find countless success stories of people who attended prestigious colleges yet failed to land a job that paid them what they were worth. So how can you find the right job and achieve meaningful success whilst avoiding the biggest online degree scam scandals? The answer lies in understanding which online degree marketing agencies to avoid so that you can be sure that you are not being scammed.

1. Scam School

One of the biggest scandals involving online degree scams is the so-called ‘University of Phoenix’. This school seems to be everywhere, boasting over 2400 campuses in 81 countries. What is more is that over 95% of students say that they are satisfied with their studies and would recommend the program to someone else. Sounds too good to be true? You’d better believe it!

The problem is that the University of Phoenix is a giant online degree scam. Over 84 million dollars has been donated to ‘University of Phoenix’ as a result of students being charged approximately $30,000 for each of their degrees. A whopping total of $50+ billion has been donated to this scam school over the years. What makes this degree scam so special is that students are tricked into believing that this is a real university and that it will give them a good job after graduation. Many students are even guaranteed a job after they graduate or enroll in any given semester. Sounds too good to be true? Unfortunately, it is.

2. American Intercontinental University

What is American Intercontinental University? Is it actually accredited by any respected international bodies? Is it a scam or a Ponzi scheme? You be the judge!

This school claims to have a virtual campus in every city in America, with over 40 campuses in 12 different countries. Even more bizarre is that students can access all of this education from the comfort of their homes. Isn’t that amazing? No wonder this company has been around for so long and has been able to scam so many people. They are definitely pioneers of online education!

The problem with American Intercontinental University is that none of these questions seem to matter. This company preys on elderly people who are desperate for an education to help them be independent and live a comfortable life. What they don’t tell you is that none of this education will help you land a job or earn you much money. It’s all about the $36.95 monthly membership fee.

3. The Art Institute Of Phoenix

The Art Institute of Phoenix is another big rip off. Despite the fact that this institution has been in business for over 100 years, it still manages to trick people. Why? They charge people money for information that isn’t valuable. For example, they will charge you $1,500 for a painting class that teaches you how to paint a picture of a dog. The only problem is that this particular painting class doesn’t actually teach you how to paint, it just gives you a template and expects you to purchase a cheap paint kit costing you $500, or go to a professional for $1,500+.

Similarly, they will charge you $500 for a photography certificate program that doesn’t teach you anything new about cameras and editing equipment, it just gives you the blueprint to build your own camera. This type of education is easily found for free on the internet and various other forums. Why pay thousands for a certificate that you can get online for free? Just to add another brick to your already crumbling college education?

The Art Institute of Phoenix is a classic case of a scam where the student is the one that ends up paying for it. After paying over $3,600 in fees, they don’t even receive a diploma. Who’s going to help them find a job when they finish college? Not the government, that’s who!

4. University Of Phoenix Global Campus

So far, we have discussed mostly American degree scams, but what about the University of Phoenix Global Campus? Where does it fall on the list of scammers to avoid?

The University of Phoenix Global Campus is a hybrid program that offers online degrees and certificate programs from various campuses around the world. Essentially, this makes it a lot more difficult to find out whether or not this is a scam. You are bound to be tricked into thinking that this is a real university and that you will be able to find a good job after graduation. Even more worrying is the fact that many of these schools are fully certified and accredited. All of this combines to make University of Phoenix Global Campus one of the biggest and most dangerous online degree scams. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

The only safe course of action is to stay completely away from this and any other school that tries to pull a fast one on you. If you want a reliable source for your education, look into attending a reputable University or College.

5. Kaplan University

Kaplan University is one of the largest for-profit universities in the US. With a whopping six degrees to choose from, this university will tell you that there is no such thing as job security. Despite the fact that this is a massive company, they still manage to pull off some pretty amazing university scamming. Why? They are extremely clever and use some pretty slick marketing to convince people that their degrees are worth paying for. Did you know that you can get a free college education in aviation management? Or how about optometry? You can even get a master’s degree in business administration for only $20 a day!

There are many degrees and specialized training programs offered at Kaplan University. Whilst this might sound like a great opportunity to earn some extra cash, you need to remember that all of this university education will only land you a low-paying job. People who attend Kaplan University are mostly there for the money, but end up hating their degrees due to lack of job security. Is that worth it? In most cases, no.

As you can see, there are many ways in which scammers can trick you into thinking that a certain school is reputable when, in fact, it is not. Due to the fact that the cost of living is increasing whilst the value of a college degree is decreasing, more and more people are either unable or unwilling to pay for their degrees. Sadly, there are a lot of scammers out there who are waiting to take advantage of this. If you want to be able to land a good job with some security, it is advisable to go the extra mile and make sure that your college education is as legitimate as possible.