This article includes the Federal definition of a diploma mill, which I don't think I'd ever actually read before. Life Christian University and the Federal Definition of a Diploma Mill
in a related story https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/doctor-doctor-give-me-the-news-where-did-you-get-your-degree
Just for easy reference the "federal definition" being cited is... In case anyone is curious what constitutes an accrediting agency under section 102 it is defined as any accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education. All of this is in the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Public Law 110-315. So the lack of accreditation is necessary, but not sufficient, condition to labeling a school a diploma mill.
I don't think that too much should be read into this so-called "federal definition of a diploma mill". The definition only exists in the context of a particular federal law (20 US Code chapter 28) that addresses the application of federal resources to higher education. It isn't a general definition that applies in other situations unrelated to distributing federal resources. The definition is here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1003 Here's the definition's broader context: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/chapter-28 Note that these definitions define 'institution of higher education' in such a way that a higher education institution can only be a public institution or a non-profit private one. For-profits are excluded by this definition. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1001 I don't think that most of us want to exclude for-profits in general from the ranks of institutions of higher education, even though they are so excluded for the purposes of this particular law. What's more, the "federal definition of a diploma mill" seems to exclude institutions of higher education that award degrees on the basis of "little or no education or coursework", provided that they have suitable accreditation as defined in the law.
This is a good point. I guess it's mostly a state law thing. How Do Laws Regulate Diploma Mills and Fake Degrees?