EDUCATION BLOG

MUST University? Since this blog is about Online Education, it is only appropriate to start off with a review of a university that is among the top few search engine results when you enter “Online” Education”. Having never heard the name before, I visited their website and came across some warning signs that prompted me to investigate further before I reached a conclusion about its authenticity. I was left with no choice but to conclude that this so-called university is nothing but a scam!

1. Warning sign # 1: No address listed. For a university that calls itself the leading choice of students worldwide, isn’t it surprising that the website lists no address? Enter “Where is MUST University” on Google and you come up with millions of pages harping on about how the university is “Online”, and so does not require an address. The first question an interested student needs to ask is why? Surely there have to be some address for their administrative offices?
2. Warning sign # 2: a .com, instead of an .edu domain. Isn’t that self explanatory?A university, or any other educational institution for that matter, needs to have a .edu domain. A .com domain for a university is a sure-fire indication of foul play.
3. Warning sign # 3: Accrediting organization also does not list a physical address. MUST University is accredited by International Accreditaiton Organization (IAO), which calls itself one of the leading organizations for global/international/online education. They too only list a phone number and email and no address. For an organization with the alleged stature of IAO, which invites  other prominent universities to apply for accreditation, there should definitely be an address. A university would not want to send secure and confidential documents over the Internet now, would it?
4. Warning Sign # 4: No info on faculty. No information is available regarding the faculty and their qualifications. While there are words like “renowned” faculty, this is all the information you may obtain from their website.

Some more interesting facts about MUST University and IAO:

1. The IAO domain name was not registered until 2008:

Domain ID:D153467873-LROR

Domain Name: INTERNATIONALACCREDITATION.ORG

Created On:28-Jul-2008 16:47:43 UTC

Last Updated On:27-Sep-2008 03:51:21 UTC

Expiration Date:28-Jul-2009 16:47:43 UTC

2. IAO claims to be “accredited” by IEAC - International Education Accreditation Commission and GESFWA – Global education support forum for working adults, whose domain names were registered in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Interestingly enough, the link for IEAC listed on IAO’s webpage does not work. However, entering “International Education Accreditation Commission” on Google gives the following location: http://www.eduaccreditation.org

3. Both IEAC and GESFWA do not have physical addresses, only websites, contact numbers and email addresses.

4. In support of its operations, MUST University has come up with URL’s like www.acceptmustuniversity.com and www.mustuniversityfake.com. A website by the name of www.mustuniversityreviews.com also exists. Another interesting URL is www.mustuniversityscam.com. Let’s see you catch a genuine university coming up with promo URLs like this.

5. MUST University, IAO, IAEC and GESFWA are not listed in the  list of schools and accrediting agencies that have been recognized by the Secretary of Education which can be accessed here http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation. You should also check out the Council for Higher Education Accreditation here: http://www.chea.org. An additional check list can be found here: http://www.chea.org/degreemills/default.htm