Expert: Carol Whittington - 7/26/2009

Question
Hi I am a 40 year old single mother that dropped out of school and I would like to futher my education.I found a school on line its called Jefferson high school I took the test and passed with a A- now they want 199.00 from me.But they have no phone numbers so im a little nervous.Do you know anything about that school.Anything would help thanks so much .........RHONDA

Answer
Hi Rhonda,

I am not familiar with this online high school, but I did some online research and it appears that it may be a diploma mill. What this means is that they give out a "test" and then charge you (the $199) to give you any sort of documentation proving you passed. The problem is, these types of "schools" are not accredited by any agency that is recognized by educational institutions. Therefore, your "diploma" may be worthless, and could get you blacklisted at some companies that don't accept documentation from non-accredited schools or from known diploma mills. They consider this sort of document a fraud and if you present it as proof of your education, then they consider that as fraudulent information you are providing to try and get a job. This will often get you blacklisted or fired from that company.

To understand more about diploma mills, the Federal Trade Commission of the US Government has put up this warning to help people understand when they may be fraudulently victimized by a diploma mill: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt149.shtm

I don't mean to scare you, but I have seen this sort of thing happen to honest people who thought they were doing the right thing and it's a serious issue. I don't know if you can get out of paying the $199, but there is an email contact form for them at: http://www.jeffersonhighschoolonline.com/contact_us.asp Their FAQ page indicates the fee is charged when you request the graduation package (the "proof" that you "graduated"). You can try and tell them that you don't want the graduation package and get them to drop the fees. However, that will mean that you need to go somewhere else to get a real GED or diploma.

I would recommend that you look into getting a real GED from the local school district or community college. It may be harder and more time-consuming, but it will be accepted as proof you completed a high school education program. Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy way to get a GED or high school diploma, you just have to do the work. Otherwise, you risk not only your money, but your professional reputation.

I hope this helps and good luck in getting your GED or high school diploma from a real school.
Carol