A certain degree of resume puffery is arguably expected by employers. After all, what is a resume if not a sales pitch?
But some enterprising job applicants cross the line from puffery to outright falsification with things like “life experience” degrees. And when the job they are being hired for requires a security clearance, that inflated resume quickly becomes a ticking time bomb.
What is a “Life Experience” Degree?
Life experience degrees are an old scam that purport to give the “student” college course credit for non-academic and undefined “life experiences.” The self-described “schools” that issue them are unaccredited outfits known as diploma mills, and the “degrees” they issue aren’t worth the paper they’re written on (although they sometimes cost a tidy sum to purchase).
Most people obtaining these bogus degrees know full-well what they’re doing. But I’ve also seen a handful of cases over the years where innocent victims were conned into buying life experience degrees based on slick marketing, false inferences of accreditation, and promises of transferring military experience into college credits.
The confusion typically occurs because some military service and training can legitimately earn college credits. In order to get it, however, there is a clearly defined (if poorly publicized) process that service members and veterans must pursue. The individual requests a transcript from either the Joint Services Transcript office (Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) or the Community College of the Air Force (Air Force, Space Force) and provides it to the institution at which s/he is seeking to pursue a degree. The receiving institution then evaluates the individual’s military service record and decides how many credits they will accept and for what degree requirements. In other words – and this is a key distinction – the degree-granting institution doesn’t simply waive a magic wand and confer a degree. Rather, the past military training and experience constitutes partial transferable credit toward a degree, which the individual supplements by completing actual college coursework at the degree-granting institution. More on the process is available through the Department of Veterans Affairs here.
Good Faith vs. Bad Faith
Any evidence that an individual knowingly procured a fraudulent degree is grounds for security clearance denial or revocation and likely debarment from future government service. It isn’t a difficult thing for background investigators to uncover, yet a small number of applicants each year continue to try it.
On the other hand, a good-faith, unintentional mistake might result in the applicant getting a pass from security officials, although that may be moot if the job in question requires a college degree. The difficult aspect of this is proving that the individually truly believed s/he was obtaining a legitimate degree. It isn’t impossible depending on the specific circumstances of the case, including whether the individual submitted transcripts to the “degree-granting institution” from prior legitimate college coursework and whether the institution’s false representations of accreditation and legitimacy would have fooled a reasonable, ordinary person with similar background and education. It is, however, a tough sell. When in doubt as to an institution’s legitimacy, do your homework on them and proceed with caution.
This article is intended as general information only and should not be construed as legal advice. Although the information is believed to be accurate as of the publication date, no guarantee or warranty is offered or implied. Laws and government policies are subject to change, and the information provided herein may not provide a complete or current analysis of the topic or other pertinent considerations. Consult an attorney regarding your specific situation.
