A lawyers or knowledgeable persons opinion please..on Ashwood Uni's Life Experience Degrees?

I went into www.ashwooduniversity.net to browse and they are offering degrees, (bachelors, associates, masters, doctorate) in all areas (my interest was Social Worker) for $229. Apparently it is 100% money back gantentee if you do not pass. They base this on life experience and work experience. They have you site a test and if you pass they send you a degree (which you have pre-selected you want) So, if I picked Social worker, passed the test and received a Bachelors degree, would this be legal? They are approved by the WOAEC.. (something like that!) Is this legit? Would it be recognised in australia? What is it all about, how can they offer this? And anything else you may know would be great too. It just seems a little easy to me, and I would hate to get sucked into some sheme, lose my cash and have a fake degree! Anyone? I have no idea

Public Comments

  1. My suggestion is to find a reputable college or university that offers a social worker certificate or diploma, with the possibility of transfering to a degree program after completion. May take a bit longer but will do you better in the end. You must see how any employer or organization will view this type of degree and if you think it sounds too easy, then it is! Don't waste your money or time. I am not sure if this particular program is legal, it probably is actually, but whether or not it helps you in your quest for a job is an entirely different question. And I tend to think it won't. Also, you could check with a "real" college to find out if they would accept credits from that degree - if they are not familiar with it and won't accept credits for transer, then you can say that it has no weight whatsoever and should stay clear! Also keep in mind that many potential employers or universities will want copies of your transcripts, showing your actual grades, academic work, etc. After looking at this website, I am sure what you will receive is laughable to any potential employer or university. Again, what they offer is probably legal..but.. Regarding the 100% money-back guarantee....please re-read that because it says "We provide a 100% money-back guarantee in case you do not qualify for your desired degree program" , meaning that you only get your money back if THEY do not accept you into the programme...something they of course will do because they want your money and they know it just sounds good at first glance. Be careful and good luck. The honest truth is that a college degree takes work and time and even life experience can't substitute unless you have EXTENSIVE professional experience in the area of the degree...and I mean many years of actual work experience in the same area. As an example, although I do not hold a BA, I have a Diploma in my field, which took two years to get, plus eight years experience in my field and I was accepted to a Masters degree programme by a very reputable "real" university after writing an essay and providing academic transcripts from my Diploma and three recommendations from work colleagues, in addition to an academic recommendation. It was hard going but worth it. ** I encourage you to read the following article and also read the other link relating to "unrecognized accrediting agencies": http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-07-20/news/first-degree-fraud/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unrecognized_accreditation_associations_of_higher_learning
  2. Sounds rather iffy in my opinion. I wouldn't go for it.
  3. Ashwood University is NOT ACCREDITED by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This places degrees from Ashwood in the DIPLOMA MILL category. You can check on accreditation on any school in the U.S. at the CHEA (Council on Higher Education Accreditation) website. http://www.chea.org/search/search.asp To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a legitimate university anywhere that offers a degree based completely on life experience. Most will allow you to challenge a course by taking a test developed by a department head, but not an entire degree.
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