Is the University of Pretoria a diploma mill?

What's the deal on this overseas South African school? Are they accredited for real? Is the accreditation equivalent to regional or national accreditation in the US? Can you get a doctorate for $3000? This sounds like a diploma mill.

 

In the case of the University of South Africa, it is most assuredly NOT a diploma mill. That would go for the University of Pretoria as well. Yes, the accreditation is the equivalent of RA accreditation (SAQA). Not sure about the $3000, but I paid $1800.00 last year. You register and pay for the year. I have been in the doctoral program since July 2009. It has fluctuated from $1800 to $2300 per year. The reason, as I have been told, is that the South African government helps with the cost of foreign students (1) and that the Rand ( currency of South Africa) to Dollars is lower, tilting toward less in Dollars. It is 6:30 am in the morning as I am typing this, so I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

 

I agree absolutely, Steve - BUT Americans don't deal in a grossly depreciated currency - well, not quite yet, anyway. At one time the Rand was equal to one US dollar. Now you get about 10.3 ZAR for $1. That's a big part of the reason.

The other contributor is South Africa's unique (AFAIK) policy on subsidizing universities for enrolment of foreign distance students. So - the universities can offer almost impossibly good deals. It's the only place I know where "it looks too good to be true" but it actually IS true. :smile:

Those things aside I still agree - yes, most US schools are 'way overpriced.

And you and I know that a big part of the reason is "easy money" student loans - resulting in a trillion-dollar-plus debt and lifelong indentured debt-servitude in many cases. People who do the "business management" for American Universities have felt free to jack their fees up sky-high because they know students can find a lender to pay them.

I feel there's another cause of over-pricing - the crazy amount of time and money many American schools lavish on frivolous, non-academic things. How crazy does it look to other countries, for a University football coach to make several millions of dollars a year - maybe 50 times what a professor on the same campus gets?

We don't do that kind of thing in Canada. And school is cheaper -- and good, too. So good that the number of American students choosing to go to school here has increased 50% in the last few years. They get very good educations and save a ton of money. And we like that just fine.

Welcome to Canada, eh? :smile:

Johann

 

I meant paying athletic coaches tons of money. Our Universities do, of course, have football teams (and other sports). Ahem... we're not barbarians, for heaven's sakes! :jester:

Johann

 

Yes
Yes
The $3000 is probably per year
The University of Pretoria is only a diploma mill if Princeton and Yale are mills.

 

There are implied problems with your questions - most likely unintentional. Politicians use the same strategy against their opponents. The answers are not relevant - the damage is in the question. A Google search will confirmed that Pretoria is in the world top 500 universities ranking on almost all research.

 

Not exactly. It's true that some (not all) Division I football and men's basketball programs do "make money". But in most cases, all of the excess revenue from those highly telegenic teams is used to support other athletic programs that generate virtually zero revenue. When was the last time that you watched your favorite university's golf, wrestling, or women's cross country teams on TV ?

So while certain teams can be profitable, the athletics department as a whole is a net financial drain at all but a handful of schools. For example, earlier this year USA Today reported: