Vanguard College Savings Planner

As an adjunct professor at a community college in South Jersey I can tell you there is amazing value in the community/junior college experience. Just like a four year university the students socialize and have access to up-to-date technology. Unlike a four year university, students are often taught by real-world members of the community rather than exclusive professors more concerned with publishing articles.

This report discusses the investigation of diploma mills that illegally sell fraudulent academic degrees to individuals that use them to gain positions and increase income based upon these documents. Per request, GAO handled the undercover operation and successfully purchased a degree from a diploma mill to demonstrate how easily one can be purchased. Individuals found guilty of purchasing such documents were contacted and interviewed as well, further concluding the identity of a diploma mill, Degrees-R-Us. The owner was questioned and admitted to the sales of approximately 100 fraudulent degrees over the past 2 years when his business began.

If your child chooses not to go to college or receives a scholarship, you can transfer your account to another family member, hold onto your account for a change of plans, save it for graduate school, or even request a refund. And, unlike some other savings options, you, as the account owner, maintain complete control over the account and how the distributions are used. Contributions to prepaid plans are made with after-tax dollars and then grow income tax deferred at the federal and state levels. Contributions also qualify for the annual federal gift tax exclusion ($15,000 in 2019).

Higher Education Funding

This may be truer in a distance situation than in a traditional classroom. In a situation where eye contact and proximity are limited, students cannot be disciplined nor affirmed by eye contact and body language . Students may also have a difficult time reading the reactions of the remote location class members.

Senator Lieberman observed that, the public interest may be at risk here, as well, when public employees are on the job without the educational credentials needed to do their jobs39. Senator Collins, calling the situation "inexcusable waste" added if a job is critical to public safety or involves significant responsibility, then a bogus degree can do tangible and supstantial harm40. Ezell and Bear documented over 80 cases of college presidents and professors, school teachers, principals and superintendents, business executives and political candidates whose jobs were lost or careers were ruined when their phony credentials were exposed41. Even more insidious were the divorces, illnesses and loss of lives due to people who were practicing medicine or psychiatry with phony MD or PhD degrees. International students who are eager to have the prestige of a "more portable" degree from a U.S. college or university are particularly easy and lucrative targets for diploma mills28.