Watch out for fake colleges

The Department of Higher Education and Training urges the public to be wary of bogus colleges.

Now that matric results are out, colleges and universities will be doing all they can to attract as many students as they can to their campus. While many are legit and verified, there are some that are purely scams or are not registered and will result in non-credited qualifications.

To assist students and parents from being taken advantage of by such institutions, the department has provided details of all registered private colleges across the country. The list linked below provides information on all registered colleges, their address and contact details, registration number and their list of qualifications that are accredited. The department pleaded with students to verify with them before registering with any private institution to avoid the pitfalls of registering with illegal colleges.

The department also warned students to be wary of the following kinds of behaviour from institutions:

• Consultants promising jobs after graduation.
• Consultants and websites offering two degrees for the price of one as well as huge discounts.
• Use of nomenclature to qualifications, for example, a Bachelor of Commerce degree is different from a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Management degree
• Official-looking bogus colleges that use seals, crests and logos used by legitimate institutions such as the DHET, public universities and public colleges
• Exaggerated and numerous claims on accreditation in order to lend credibility to the college
• The names of colleges are similar or identical to those of prestigious universities such as Oxford University and Cambridge University
• The application form is questionable in that it does not require information or proof of formal schooling, identity documents, etc
• Diplomas and degrees offered in a short period of time making it possible to receive several degrees in one year.
• The absence of a physical address for the legal entity called the institution or the awarding body.
• Local tuition centres purporting to offer ‘qualifications’ on behalf of ‘foreign’ and ‘international’ universities
• The continued and undue emphasis on ‘international accreditation’ and ‘international qualifications’.

To verify if an institution is registered, visit the following link www.bit.ly/3KHITP9 or call the department on 0800 87 2222.