How To Spot Fashion Merchandising School Scams

Fashion merchandising schools come in two major flavors: legitimate and illegitimate.  Find out about common red flags that can tip you off to the fact that a particular fashion merchandising school is a scam, and learn to protect yourself.  Then, discover some signals that a fashion merchandising college offers a genuine and valuable education program, so that you can pick the school that is really the right for you.

Fashion Merchandising School  Warning Signs

If you encounter any of these red flags from a fashion merchandising school, seriously reconsider your application or your enrollment.  The following attributes are common to scams or “diploma mills,” so spotting one can save you a lot of time and money:

  • The admissions officer you speak with sounds more like a salesperson than like an adviser.  According to National Public Radio, the “hard sell” approach is found among officers at schools that do not necessarily have their students’ best interests at heart.
  • The school is not adequately accredited.  Your fashion merchandising college should carry accreditation from a well known, objective third-party evaluator like the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or another organization listed in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation International Directory.
  • Find out whether your credits would apply to another program if you decided to transfer out of the fashion merchandising college to another undergraduate school.  (When leaving a legitimate school, you can usually transfer many or most of your earned credits, and apply them to the requirements of a new program; credits you earned at a scam school or diploma mill will not be accepted by another school.)
  • The curriculum requirements vary substantially from those of other fashion merchandising programs.  If a school promises you a degree for much less time or effort than you’d spend at another college, be wary.

Good Signs For A Fashion Merchandising School

In addition to signs that a program is illegitimate, there are also plenty of signals that a program is in good standing, and offers you genuine educational value as well as helping you build momentum as you start your career path.  If you encounter several of these elements, you’ve probably found a good fashion merchandising program:

  • The school and/or program can show you proof of legitimate accreditation.
  • Faculty members are distinguished, with credentials you can verify from both academic institutions and highly regarded companies in the fashion and retail spheres.
  • When asked, admissions officers can tell you about notable alumni of the program from recent years, who have gone on to find professional success, and have built the kinds of careers you would like to pursue.
  • The fashion merchandising school you’re looking at is a non-profit organization.  (Not all for-profit colleges and universities are scams, but almost no non-profit schools are scams.)
  • The curriculum offers both general classes and specialized niche instruction comparable to that found at competing schools in the fashion merchandising field.

Article Resources

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

National Public Radio: In Lawsuit, Students Claim College Deceived Them

Council for Higher Education Accreditation International Directory

Find a School