Bronte International University (formerly known as Trinity College and University) is an unaccredited post-secondary educational institution formerly in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. It is widely considered to be a

diploma mill A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fake ...

, operated from an unknown location. Its website offers "fast" degrees for "life experience." The Trinity College and University that was based in South Dakota and later became Bronte International University is currently based in

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

, the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = " Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Bri ...

, and is registered as a corporation with the United Kingdom.

Location

The ''

Skeptical Inquirer ''Skeptical Inquirer'' is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: ''The Magazine for Science and Reason''. Mission statement and goals Daniel Loxton, writing in 2 ...

'' described it as "a British institution with no building, campus, faculty, or president, and run from a post office box in Sioux Falls, South Dakota."

Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writings of Lew ...

, "'Dr' Bearden's Vacuum Energy"
''Skeptical Inquirer'', Vol 31.1
Jan/Feb 2007 According to the

Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) is a unit of the Office of Student Access and Completion, with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private higher education institutions in Oregon. ODA administers laws and prov ...

, it is "probably" operated in the Caribbean and "also operated in Louisiana and maybe elsewhere."

Academics and accreditation status

The institution claims to be accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAE), but this is not a recognized accreditation association of higher learning. It has been listed as a

by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Course descriptions found on the institution's now defunct website were copied verbatim from the course offerings of

Thomas Edison State College Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is a public university in Trenton, New Jersey. The university is one of New Jersey's 11 senior public institutions of higher education. Thomas Edison State University offers degrees at the undergraduate and ...

of Trenton, New Jersey.

Other institutions with similar names

Bronte International University was originally known as "Trinity College and University." It should not be confused with a number of mainstream academic institutions with similar names (see

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

). Trinity College and University offered

bachelor’s degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...

s on the basis of "Prior Learning Assessment," advertising that a degree awarded on this basis could be completed in as little as two days' time. Bachelor's degrees were priced at $675. The name "Trinity College and University" is also used by a distance education institution based in Dover, Delaware, United States, with offices in Málaga, Spain and Islamabad, Pakistan.About Us
, Trinity College and University website, accessed March 17, 2008 This institution is a known diploma mill now. and advertises that it awards degrees "in any subject"
, Trinity College and University website, accessed March 17, 2008 on the basis of "practical experience".

United Nations scandal

In February 2007, the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

reported that several employees of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

had lost their jobs when it was revealed they had listed Trinity College and University degrees on their resumes. A representative of the UN was quoted as saying that one staff member's misrepresentation of his Trinity credentials as being from a legitimate university was considered "serious misconduct." The article described Trinity as a "diploma-sales business" and noted that the institution was "actively pursuing the soldiers in Iraq" as customers for college degrees.

References

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External links