Home / Learn

Learn

Ask a question, get a straight answer

Short, sourced answers about degrees, careers and fake credentials, from every guide, tool and article on this site. Search them all, or choose one of four topics below.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌⁠

Choose a topic

Every article sits in one of four topics, in the order to read them. Each topic starts with the article to read first.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌⁠

  1. 1Check a school before you enrol6 articles
  2. 2Degree sellers and scam offers10 articles
  3. 3Check someone's degree11 articles
  4. 4Your degree, CV and career8 articles

Topic 1 of 4 · 6 articles

Check a school before you enrol

Is the university or college real, recognised and allowed to award the degree you want? Check before you pay anything.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌⁠

Start hereIs this university accredited?Four quick checks against the official register, before you pay a deposit.8 min read
  1. Famous name, fake universityWhen a college borrows a famous name, how to tell the real one.
  2. Who accredits the accreditor?Follow an accreditor back to an official list, or watch the chain break.
  3. Official lists of fake collegesThe official warning lists, what they mean, and how to search them.
  4. Degree recognised in the UKWho decides if an overseas degree counts in the UK, and which document to get.
  5. Checking a school with CHEDIn the Philippines: check a school with CHED in two minutes, before you pay a fee.

Guides and tools for this topic

All topics

Topic 2 of 4 · 10 articles

Degree sellers and scam offers

What a bought degree really is, the promises sellers make, and the messages and job offers to walk away from.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌⁠

Start hereIs this a scam?Paste a degree or job message and see the red flags in seconds.7 min read
  1. Is your offer letter real?Job offers that ask you to pay, or to buy a qualification, and how to check one.
  2. What a bought degree really isWhat arrives in a seller's envelope, item by item, and what a real university sends.
  3. Accredited and verifiable?Decode a seller's "accredited" and "verifiable" promises, line by line.
  4. Degree without studyThe small print an instant-degree advert leaves out, and the honest shortcuts.
  5. Buying a master's onlineThe bill a bought master's runs up later, and an honest part-time route.
  6. Bought a PhD online?Who finds out about a bought doctorate, when, and what to do next.
  7. Buying an honorary doctorateHow real honorary doctorates are given, and why a paid one isn't one.
  8. Backdated degreesWhy a certificate with an earlier date fails the first real check.
  9. Degree maker PDFsWhy a homemade certificate fails the one check employers actually run.

Guides and tools for this topic

All topics

Topic 3 of 4 · 11 articles

Check someone's degree

For employers, HR and anyone who needs to know a degree is real: the official routes, step by step.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌⁠

Start hereVerify a candidate's degreeA ten-minute routine for employers, with the consent step and the wording.8 min read
  1. Is this degree real?Three checks that catch a fake certificate, with no expert eye needed.
  2. Free degree verificationThe free checks that work, and the "free" services that are traps.
  3. Certificate verificationCheck any certificate or licence at the one place that can confirm it.
  4. Real or fake diploma?A seven-exhibit test: why looks prove nothing, and what does.
  5. Spotting a fake transcriptNine signs of a fake transcript, and the request that settles it.
  6. Verify a master's degreeFour steps to verify a master's degree, and the signs of a diploma mill.
  7. Verifying a foreign degreeHow a degree from abroad gets checked, and why it takes longer.
  8. The education line on a CVConfirm each part of a CV's education line with the right source.
  9. Reference checksA three-call reference check that catches an invented employer.
  10. Did they go to university?Checking a date's, partner's or contact's degree: what you can and can't do.

Guides and tools for this topic

All topics

Topic 4 of 4 · 8 articles

Your degree, CV and career

How employers check, what to put on your CV, real routes to a qualification, and what a lie can cost.

Start hereDo employers check degrees?When employers check a degree, how they do it, and what they see.8 min read
  1. Employment gapExplain a gap on your CV honestly, with lines for ten common reasons.
  2. Lost your diploma?Lost your certificate? Get a real replacement, and prove your degree meanwhile.
  3. Fake transcript for a jobHow a fake transcript gets found out, and the honest messages to send HR instead.
  4. Lying about your degreeWhen lying about a degree is a crime, and what else it can cost.
  5. Types of degreesEvery type of degree in one guide, from certificate to doctorate, and the fakes.
  6. How long a PhD takesHow long a real PhD takes in the UK, US and Australia, and why.
  7. Jobs that pay wellWell-paid jobs and the qualification each one really needs.

Guides and tools for this topic

All topics

©⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌⁠ 2026 Accredited University. All rights reserved.General information, not legal advice. Every fact links to its source.

Language passport

Choose your language

More languages are coming soon.