diploma mill

noun

: a usually unregulated institution of higher education granting degrees with few or no academic requirements

Examples of diploma mill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This led to the rise of diploma mills that sell guard certificates to people uninterested in or unable to dedicate a day or more of uncompensated time to training. — Jasper Craven, Harper's Magazine, 23 July 2024 Some of those nurses are still credentialed in Florida — and Martin found little evidence that the state looked into the skills and records of other graduates of those nursing-school diploma mills. — South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 20 May 2026 For example, Eaton notes, creating a definitive blacklist of fake schools or diploma mills would be impossible, because the fraudsters can easily change their names, internet domains and other information to keep themselves off such lists. — Emma Whitford, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Efforts to encourage education in the United States have led to a proliferation of diploma mills, which deliver second-rate schooling to increasingly desperate students. — Menzie D. Chinn, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2012 See All Example Sentences for diploma mill

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of diploma mill was in 1914

Rhymes for diploma mill

See All Rhymes for diploma mill

Browse Nearby Words

diplomacy
diploma mill
diploma piece
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diploma mill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diploma%20mill. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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