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Bogus Qualifications

In recent years there has been an enormous increase in the availability of counterfeit and substandard university degrees.  The trade in these 'fake degrees' is now proliferating on the Internet, and occurs in every country, including Australia.

Many fake degrees are offered by 'degree mills' which are unaccredited and little more than shelf companies.  Others are substantial operations which, however, do not provide legitimate education services and are not accredited in Australia or overseas.

Many 'degree mills' have well-designed websites with convincing course descriptions, staff lists and descriptions of graduation ceremonies.  Degree testamurs purchased from these sites can be indistinguishable from the genuine article because they appear to have university crests, student numbers and official signatures.

There are also fake degrees which fraudulently purport to have been issued by a legitimate university.

A prospective student should always check the status of the institution before enrolling or before paying any money.  Never trust statements about accreditation until you have checked with the appropriate accreditation authority.  In Western Australia, this is the Higher Education Regulation Branch.

An employer, or professional licensing or registration body, should never accept photocopies of academic qualifications or transcripts.  Insist on seeing the original documents or certified copies.

There are currently five universities in Western Australia.  You can verify the status of any degree issued by a Western Australian university by contacting the university directly.  You may need the degree holder's written permission to obtain verification of their degree from the issuing university.

There is also a range of non-university institutions (pdf 147k) authorised to offer accredited higher education courses in Western Australia.

For information on interstate universities and interstate non-university providers, refer to the AQF Register.